A Spark
by jwootan02
Summary: What if Videl had snuck off, following her father to the Cell Games? But caught in the wake of the battle suffers an injury not so easily repaired. Piccolo saves the girl from the rubble after sensing something strange about her energy. But they soon find out that she has no memory from before Gohan's fight with Cell. Now he is all she has, to re-learn who she is. NEW CHAPTER! R
1. A Spark

A/N: this is my first fanfic and I'm excited! I honestly have no idea how faithful I will be to updating, but it's weird for me to think that anyone is actually going to read my stories, lol. I don't own DBZ, obviously. And I plan on taking this through to the end of the Majin Buu Saga, though I won't promise. I'd love reviews and I know that this chapter is mainly nothing new to a DBZ lover, but it's where I chose to start! Pleeeease let me know what you think, any advice, questions, comments, thoughts, comments, complaints, encouragement, whatever!

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Chapter 1

A Spark

This battle had gone on long enough. Gohan was flaming in both rage and pain feeling nearly blind from all the things attempting to war against him, including the Cell monster before him. The green being launched a massive blast of energy straight for the severely wounded half saiyan who appeared to barely be holding onto his life, and his arm according to it's limp position. Gohan's hair glowed golden blonde and blood dripped down his body. There was no part of him left unharmed. But a Saiyan would hardly be stopped by wounds, especially one who fought from his heart and not from his pride.

The blast fired towards the young boy at an incredible speed with a brilliant light leaving Cell's hand and flying forward in a beam of evil power. Gohan's friends did their best to remain standing at the blast and the earth all around them quaked and trembled with fear of her destruction. Gohan watched the beam come for him without fear. He felt something rising from within his weak physical body as energy seemed to fill his body out of no where. And suddenly he had his own energy blast roaring towards the monster who caused his father's death. Images of him flashed through his mind along with the many scenes of pain inflicted on his closest friends. The fire of the cruelty of Cell fueled Gohan's risen passion to destroy him.

Their energy blasts met and warred with one another. Gohan felt weakness pang his chest as his fear of failure simmered before him. The ground was quivering beneath the power exploding on its surface and Gohan, the last hope began to look upon defeat as something nearly inevitable for him. He'd never really came through before in his life, he always seem to let those who needed him down. Why would this time be any different?

Gohan's friends flew away from the overwhelming winds flying through the air from the awesome power. Krillin held the female android that was recently spat up by the "perfect" Cell. Yamcha and Tien had Trunks in the care and Piccolo was flying alone. A sudden intensified gust threw them from their flight patterns as the stopped to watch the change in atmosphere. Fury filled each of them as they watched their fate radiating in blue energy beams before them, while they themselves seemed helpless. Or were they?

"This must be hard for you with all those wounds. I'm sure this makes them BURN!" Cell projected towards the boy, making himself heard. The insect shot out his final weapon of energy towards the damaged young Saiyan boy who stilled seemed to desperately be clinging to his kamehameha wave. Cell's side of their connected energy beam grew tremedously appearing to quickly overpower Gohan. "And now this, is where you, END!"

Gohan cleched his jaw and let a few sounds of agony release themselves from within him, but he refused to let go. He just couldn't let go.

"_What's the matter with you Gohan? You already have all the power you need! Just bring it out!" _Goku spoke directly to his son from other world, the place Gohan's father was now supposed to call home. Goku was using the powerful King Kai as a tool to speak to his son, directly to his mind. There wasn't a chance he would leave his son to this alone.

"I...I can't. I can't keep this up for much longer." Gohan could barely manage his words to be audible as he grunted them out by force. "I just can't hack it, Dad. It's too much for me to handle. I'm just a kid! I haven't changed...not at all."

_"Will you stop attacking yourself! I don't know where you got it in your head that there's something wrong with you, cause there's not! You saved my life and our friends' lives so many times! And you're going to do it again. Right now!"_

Cell was listening over all the sounds blaring around the battle. The air was whooshing, the mountains falling, the ground cracking, and pieces of earth floating as earth cried out for mercy.

"What on earth are you mumbling about? Chanting a little prayer before you die?"

_"Let it out Gohan. Do it NOW!"_

At his father's command a sudden bright light auraed from his hand as pure power sought after it's victim. Cell taunted in response firing back enough energy to make Gohan's last effort seem meek in comparison.

_"Gohan, if anywhere in your mind you're holding back because you're worried abou t the planet, forget about it! All the damage you do to the earth can be fixed by the dragon balls!"_

"HA! I can feel you slipping!"

A power surged like a small light around the two warriors battling with their energy. And soon a voice cried out, "MASENKO HA!" and an energy beam fired from Piccolo to the Cell monster. His attempt appeared to fail, but was soon reinforced when Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin joined the Namekian all firing at Cell with anything they could possibly muster. Gohan watched as his friends tried relentlessly to help their friend's son whom they'd watched grow up before their eyes these last few years. He wanted them to be careful, but as Cell shoved them away all Gohan could see was their pain. His jaw dropped in fury and in a moment of Cell's distraction he let out the beginning of a final effort with a loud, "HA!"

His friends rose once more, all staggering to even remain standing simply trying to do whatever they could for Gohan and Goku. They attacked. They distracted. And the fell once more. Only to repeat the process several times.

_"Gohan! Raise it higher! You can win this one!"_

Gohan began slipping as his friends fell to the ground for the final time, unable to get up once more. Goku continued encouraging, desperately trying to speak courage into his son on earth, but it seemed there was no affect other than the willpower to not let up what he was presently shoving forward.

Then suddenly a large ball of glowing yellow energy descended from above Cell, catching him completely offguard. Vegeta had kept his distance as he loomed over the scene, grasping ever so tightly to his prideful title as the Prince of all Saiyans, but this had gone on long enough. Vegeta's energy quickly changed Cell's focus as Vegeta's power was much stronger than the other Z fighters, even accumulatively. Cell attempted to brace himself, but it was too late.

_"NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!"_

"AHHHHHHH!" Gohan lunged forth every emotion he could fathom through his one usable arm and he was suddenly fueled with the fire of blinding passion once more. He walked his beam forward. Step. By. Step. He slowly engulfed his enemy and sent his soaring into space, entirely disintegrating along the way.

It was over. Cell was dead.

Gohan let his energy fall from his body as he lost his transformation from a Super Saiyan and as his hair fell to black his body fell to the earth. His friends approached the young defender of the earth, their wounds fresh and sore yet they felt little pain as the looked at the trashed boy smiling on the ground. Gohan had begun weakly laughing pure joy as the triumph set into his mind for him to grasp.

"Ha. look at him. Guess saving the world can take its toll on you." Piccolo spoke confidently.

Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha laughed together already joking about the day's events. It was time that they took their dear friend's son to the guardian of the earth for a proper and thorough healing from the young Namekians seemingly magic hands. Yamcha stepped forward to lift the boy despite his own wounds and the boy fell asleep quickly in his arms. Tien went back to wear they left Trunks and grabbed him also. Krillin had desired to bring Android 18 along as well, persisting past his blushing cheeks to say that she was also a victim of Cell. They took to the sky leaving Piccolo and Vegeta behind alone. Piccolo looked up in the sky respectfully at the once apparently evil Saiyan, sending him a thank you, in his own choice of words. Vegeta was nice about it, but refused any help or offering of emotion and flew away as quickly as he could.

Piccolo readied himself to leave as well when a random blip of energy struck his keen sensing ability. It was small, obviously human, but there was something powerful about the tiny spark of energy. He assumed it had been unnoticable surrounded by all the immeasuably more powerful energies. Piccolo searched his mind to pinpoint where he needed to look for this newfound spark. His head turned slightly to the right and he set out.

A ways away from the fighting area, he found a semi-crushed limosine. He assumed it was the one that Hercule Satan had arrived in at the beginning of the Cell Games. The spark was definitely here somewhere. But a car? Then there was a movement. The trunk of the car was bent out of shape but scarcely cracked open and Piccolo swore he saw movement inside...

Easily ripping the trunk hatch from the car Piccolo discovered a barely conscious little girl. She seemed so absurdly out of place, he had no idea what to think! But she had been obviously startled and affected by the events that occured around her today. She opened her eyes weakly for a moment to look up at the green man. Her blue eyes contrasted wildly to the blackness of her mangled hair. Against Piccolo's normal behavior, he reached down and grabbed the girl as she closed her big eyes and fell into unconsciousness. Piccolo chose to bring her to Dende at the lookout as well. Her spark intrigued him.

It reminded him so much of Gohan.


	2. Memories

A/N: it's cool to see all the views! :) would love a review here and there, but I guess I'm writing this more for myself than anyone, so no hurt feelings.

I'm really excited about where this is going! Let me know what you think too.

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Chapter 2

Memories

Piccolo arrived at the lookout just as Dende was knelt down next to his faithful young friend, Gohan. The boys severe wounds were mended before their very eyes and smiles grew all around on the fighters' faces. Krillin turned his head to Piccolo, noticing his arrival when he saw the frail young girl he held under his arm. She looked to be about the age of Gohan, their new hero, and had not a single scratch on her. Krillin considered pinching himself to see if he was really seeing this. Maybe he'd hit his head harder than he thought? He hoped Dende could heal him next.

"Uh, Piccolo...who is that?" The bald man finally asked, and as he did the other warriors turned to notice the small girl Piccolo was now placing on the floor in the same fashion Gohan was laid.

"Piccolo, what are you doing with a little girl?" Yamcha was always the first to assume the worst, and this was something that he had many possible tangents for.

"To be honest, I don't know."

"Piccolo, maybe you need to get healed next... I don't think you're thinking straight. I am completely confused by you right now. Not that I really ever completely understand you..." Krillin rolled his eyes at the green alien before him. No one every seemed to understand Piccolo though really. Except Goku occassionally, but more often Goku was a little dense. Lovable! But dense.

"No. I was about to leave to fly after you, but once enough energy signals left the area I felt this...spark. An energy that seemed untamed and I was curious because I could obviously felt that it was human. Then I found her in that joke, Hercule's TRUNK!"

"That is strange..."

"Very bad parenting, I'd say." Yamcha spoke up and as he did curious faces turned their attentions to him. "What? She's Hercule Satan's daughter. They were on the news together abou this victory in a World Martial Arts Tournament. The girl fights too and she's only 10."

"Interesting... So Piccolo," Krillin continued, "why have you kidnapped the lunatic's daughter again exactly..?"

"She has shown me that she has incredible potential inside of her. The spark of her energy was faintly familiar to me. It felt...it felt like Gohan's. When he was a boy, of course."

"What about when I was a boy Piccolo?" Gohan had been fully healed and was sitting up with a smile spread proudly across his face.

"Gohan!" The humans chorused at his awakening from his unconscious rest.

"Hey guys! Thanks Dende, for healing me. I feel great! We actually did it guys! It's all over! Cell is dead!" The young boy rejoiced purely and innocently as he looked up to all his adult friends his father had passed on to him. His father. He's dead too. And he couldn't simply attain the magical dragon balls to summon a mystical dragon to revive him from the dead. No - not this time. Goku had already been returned to life by them once before, and earth's dragon balls imply didn't have the capabilities to revive a life any further than once. Suddenly Gohan felt a little more sullen in his chest. Like there was a new weight. A burden he was going to have to get used to carrying. His eyes settled deeper as his thoughts had changed in heart so quickly. But he captured himself, snapping back into reality as his friends surrounded him. But their faces recognized what Gohan was thinking about. He was never very good at hiding his honest feelings.

"Don't look so glum, kid. We can always wish him back with the dragon balls on planet Namek!" Krillin surged at the idea of his best friend returning, not to mention a father returning to his son.

Gohan beamed. "You're right Krillin! Yeah!"

The other human fighters rejoiced with the two shortest warriors in their fool proof plan, but quickly haulted at the sound of a familiar voice booming from the sky.

"_Hey, don't I get any say in this?"_

"Dad! You're talking to me again! Just like you did when I was fighting Cell! You're here! Dad, you can come home!"

"Yeah Goku! We only need to get to Namek. That shouldn't be too hard!"

_"Guys, I've been doing some thinking...and the only reason the earth and all of you guys are ever in danger is because of my enemies coming after ME. So, I guess, logically, if I wasn't there, they would all stop trying to come to destroy me and my home planet with me. I'm sorry friends. But I see this as the wiser decision. And Gohan is so strong now, there is nothing left for me to teach him!"_

"That doesn't mean I don't need you, dad!" A desperate voice cried out from near the young, sleepy Videl Satan. Her mind had begun to emerge from it's slumber as she attempted to register all the light entering her delicate human eyes. Her senses seemed to be registering slower than normal as she blinked herself awake. Her head was acheing for her attention, but she could only focus on remembering to move.

_"I know, son. I'm sorry. But I'll see you again, though hopefully not soon. I love you, Gohan. Take care of him friends, yourselves too. And know that I'll want every detail of your lives when you finally join me. Goodbye."_

And just like that Gohan's father was gone. He was choosing to not come home to him and his mother. He was purposefully going to stay away from him...for the rest of his life. Anger started to test him, desiring to torment him but the Saiyan chose his father's truth instead. He shook off the anger towards his father and instead focused it on Cell. His father was good, and nothing but. His father was noble and made his decision purposefully to protect him. He chose out of love. So Gohan would choose to love his father in return. No grudge would be held against someone he loved.

No one noticed the normal, possibly not normal, human girl rising from her sleep behind where the friends were gathered. She'd been quickly forgotten about when Gohan woke up and stole everyone's attention. The adults around Gohan began to search through their own emotions just as the boy did, and as they attempted to wrap their minds around what they just heard, Gohan spotten the awakened girl in the corner of his eye. Something seemed to happen in his chest when he looked at her. It was strange, he'd never felt anything like it. I mean, this was only his second girl his age he'd ever really seen before. And he didn't have this weird feeling in his chest when he'd met Lime in the village. The event that was only days ago seemed years away now that so much had happened. This thing in his chest...it felt sort of like energy. It was as if the girl had set off a spark in his innermost being. It felt weird, and Gohan wasn't really sure he like it. But he was definitely interested now. He rose and walked over to the unknown girl who seemed to be struggling just to sit up.

"Do you need help?" He spoke as he reached out his hand toward hers.

She looked up at the boy standing above him, immediately registering that he was in the fight she just came from. He was the explosive boy with the golden aura and a kind of power she had never seen before. He was immeasurably strong and holding out his hand waiting for her to take it. It seemed like a gesture of an ally, and Videl desired to be on the same team as this boy, always. She blinked her bright blue eyes hard a few times and reached up for his hand.

Gohan realized as she was weakly attempting to rise to her feet that she should probably just continue sitting down. He reached his other hand up to grab her side and set her gently back down. Her eyes showed a protest at first, as if she was offended that he would treat her as weak, but they quickly widened to show the gentleness of her features. Gohan sat down in front of her with his legs cross beneath him. He finally trusted that she wasn't going ot fall backwards and hit her head on the ground and let go of her. She steadied herself with what small energy she might have had and watched the boy in front of her. His eyes were black and fierce, his hair was a mess but somehow she didn't think it looked so bad, and dispite all of that he was so nice and gentle. She should have been afraid of him right? No... He had saved the world. Cell was gonna kill everyone in the whole world! And this boy managed to stop him.

"My name is Gohan, what's yours?"

Videl opened her mouth to answer him, waiting for her name to automatically pour from her memory banks...but there was no answer. Her mouth snapped shut and a worry line slowly produced in her forehead. She tried to remember, but for some unknown reason she just couldn't. She closed her hands into tight fists and tried with all of her might to focus on her thoughts and fish out the corect answer. But nothing came. She opened her eyes that she didn't even remember closing when she started focusing so hard and saw the boy in front of her staring very confused back at the young girl. She looked down, away from his eyes that made her feel foolish. It wasn't a difficult question. She should know her name. Her logic began to connect a few dots inside her thoughts and she started searching even farther into her mind. She was searching for anything, nothing specific, but anything. Gohan watched on as the girl, slightly smaller than he was, tensed her entire body as her fists tightened. She was squinting so hard small drips of tears started to slowly fall. Gohan was so confused, but she looked in pain so he reached out for her and shook her as lightly as his super human strength would let him.

"Hey, are you okay? What's wrong with you?"

"I don't remember my name."


	3. True Strength

A/N: I always try to write what I want to read...and I wish this story was done so I could just read and enjoy it, lol. Thank you so much for reviews! Eep! :) and to LycosTamer - I don't really know what fluffy means in this situation...but probably!

Review!

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Chapter 3

True Strength

"What do you mean you don't remember your name? I mean, I guess we could take you home and you could ask your parents. It'd be alot easier to be friends if I knew your name." Gohan spoke with the same innocence as his father always had, especially when he was younger. He, just like his father, was honest and humble, true and innocent inside and out. Well, besides the whole unfathomably powerful part.

The girl sitting before him looked extremely upset. Gohan had known his mother to be a little overly emotional sometimes, so he wasn't going to get too worked up over her feelings that seemed to started seeping out of her like lava spilling slowly from the mouth of a volcano. He assumed this was just a things that girls did. And though that wasn't easy for him to handle and not exactly his favorite thing in the world, he wasn't scared. This was just a girl being a girl. Like he was just a half blooded alien warrior.

Videl was tirelessly searching her brain for anything. but she had only a few specific memories, all of which were about the boy sitting before her, watching her face with not a look of concern, but a look of patience. He was just waiting on her. Unable to fight for her memory anymore she lost all of the last of her strength as soon as she had started crying. Her body became limp and she was falling backwards. Gohan quickly, super humanly, scooted over on the floor of the lookout to catch the unconscious girl. He held her for a moment and watched her face. He was glad she was sleeping now, he didn't like seeing her struggling the way she was.

The movement of Gohan's quick reflexes attracted the attention of the others standing upon the lookout. The men all turned to see their young hero holding a limp girl in his arms. They looked at one another in shock, never even really noticing Gohan had left their presence in the first place, let alone gone over to the girl.

"Uh, Gohan? What are you doing with that girl?" Krillin asked tentatively, not knowing what the innocent boy would possibly reply.

Gohan blinked and looked down at the innocent girl in his grasp and back up to Krillin. "Well, she was falling so I caught her. Hitting your head is no fun!"

The Z fighters, Dende, and even Mr. Popo fell to the floor in astonishment at the purity of the boy before them. What was the boy going to do now without his father? He was so strong, yet so purely humble and content in all that he did. But at the same time he was a restless Saiyan who hungered for strength, if not a simple battle. Gohan was the truest warrior of them all it seemed. If these fighters couldn't even keep up with him for this long on the lookout, what about on back on earth? What about the boys transition with his mother as things attempted to return to whatever normal was these days? Who was this young boy going to grow up to be? Every man present hoped to be apart of the boy's transition into manhood, but they all knew how well his father was at keeping in touch. They might say goodbye to Gohan today and not see him again until he had kids of his own to raise...

"She fell?" Piccolo asked his pupil. "So she was awake?"

"Yes," Gohan answered respectively.

"And did you speak to her when she was awake?"

"Yes sir."

"What exactly did the two of you talk about, kid?" Yamcha asked, joining the conversation easily as everyone else joined with their eyes watching the boy still holding the sleeping girl.

"Not much. I told her my name was Gohan and asked what her's was. And all she kept saying was 'I don't remember anything' and then she started falling. I really tried to get her to talk to me. I was nice and everything, but I guess she was just being too much of a girl right now."

Eyes widened and a few jaws fell as gears began turning in the men's minds.

"Yamcha, are you certain this is that imbicile's daughter?"

"Yes, I'm positive."

"What are we going to do with her you guys?" Tien looked around finally landing his gaze on Dende and Mr. Popo. Dende looked nervous, still getting used to his new role and all its new pressures.

Mr. Popo answered in his stead, allowing the Dende's weight to be lifted as he learned the ropes. "Well, I suggest we find out what exactly she knows and go from there."

"Yes Mr. Popo," Dende settled on his response. "So we will wait. Though not all of us need to stay for it. Not meaning to force anyone way, I just don't want anyone feeling obligated. She is an earthling, so I am her guardian. Popo and I can find out what to do with her."

The fighters looked at one another, and knowing their ranks, Tien and Yamcha decided to go ahead and leave now. Puar and Chiautzu would be waiting for their return at Master Roshi's place expecting a full report of the battle. Well, at least the details that Master Roshi himself couldn't unveil. Krillin and Piccolo decided they must stay, both feeling an amount of resposibility over the newly fatherless Super Saiyan who was now rising with the girl in his strong arms. The youth of the two heading towards a bedinside Dende's new home was a precious sight to behold as Gohan carried her to rest. The men sighed at the forshadowing they saw of the boy's obvious rising heart throb potential. He was becoming a man much faster than most boys did and though that worried Piccolo and Krillin, they knew the boy always seemed to rise to the occasion. What a responsible handful he was proving to be. Incredible.

Mr. Popo was the one to speak when Gohan returned.

"Now we wait."

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Her eyes opened slowly, easily overwhelmed by the brightness of the empty, white room. She was laying in a bed and felt her head throb as she began to sit up, scooting herself back to rest against the wall behind her. She took in her surroundings slowly and the more she tried to muster a memory of the room the more she noticed her lack of memories altogether. Her tension rose and as she felt tears rise up from the fear in her belly, crawling up her throat aiming for her big, blue eyes that were stubborn to stay open inorder to not blink as her tears would begin to fall. She would be strong. Something in her told her to be strong. She was strong. And strength would get her through this.

A memory flashed through her mind of a boy's face, dark eyes and wild hair, looking at her with pure interest. He had spoken to her. He told her his name. Gohan. Gohan could help her. She just needed to find him. He was all she had.

Before she could get out of bed to begin her search, her search found her. A tall, green man with anger scarred onto his face entered the room first, followed by a shorter green man who looked just like him except his face seemed peaceful rather than threatening. A stout black alien walked alongside of the peaceful green one, all so far seeming to be from outer space. Then a boy walked in behind them. His eyes bright and excited to see her awake. He bounded up to her bed and sat on the edge as the other's gathered around her. If it weren't for Gohan's excitement, the girl would have easily thought to panic, but somethingabout him calmed her, so she waited quietly for someone to speak.

"Hello, Videl. My name is Mr. Popo. Nice to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Videl?" She thought to herself about his statement. He was obviously referring to herself as Videl. What a strange name... Pretty though, she supposed. And since she didn't have a clue as to what her name was she decided their given name would be better than no name at all. Acceptance took shape on her features as her previous confusion slipped away in the past.

"Yes, your name is Videl." Mr. Popo had specifically decided to take this conversation. Dende was still learning and Piccolo could still be a little harsh. Gohan had no real authority where they were, being just a boy, so of course Mr. Popo would take the pressure, always appearing s the gentle peace maker and backbone to whomever stepped foot on the lookout.

"Okay. I believe you." Videl replied immediately, trusting the strange aliens because of Gohan's grin as he satbefore her just as he did in her memories. He was comforting to be around, she registered that as a memory, making sure to preserve it as useful information.

"Now, we need to ask you a few questions. And we need you to answer completely truthfully. Okay, Videl?"

"Yes sir."

"You didn't know your name before I said it, did you?"

"No."

"What is the most recent thing you remember?"

She thought for a split second to quickly point at Gohan. "Gohan sat down with me. He told me his name. Then I couldn't remember mine."

"Good. Now what do you remember before that?"

"Watching him fight. But he had golden, glowing hair then. He beat the big green bug man."

"That's good. I'm glad you remember that, though that was a dangerous place to be. Do you remember why you were so close to the fighting?"

"No. I don't."

"Piccolo here," Mr. Popo gestured to the taller green alien, "he found you in the trunk of a long, black limosine. Does that ring any bells in your memories?"

"No."

"So you have no memories at all beyond Gohan fighting Cell?"

"No! I remember him telling me his name!" Videl innocently threw out the information like it would make a big difference about her sanity.

"Okay, Videl. Now Piccolo, Dende, and I are going to go get a big lunch together for us all to eat. You and Gohan can play around here for a while, okay?" Videl's eyes widened, excited to get to spend time with her only friend.

The three elders turned to leave, thier real intentions being to discuss their new information on Videl Satan, leaving the eleven and ten year olds alone. Gohan's face brightened further at his turn to talk to his friend.

"Hi Videl! Wanna go look around? You won't believe where we are!"

Her face lit up at his enthusiasm. "Sure, Gohan!"

The two ran out of the room bouncing in the freedom of their youth completely blind to any disturbance in their joy. Gohan hadn't even been home to his mother yet, though Krillin had gone from the lookout and informed her of hher son's victory and that he would be returning to her as soon as possible. She very quickly threatened that any later than now and she would have a piece of her mind waiting for Piccolo. Piccolo quickly planned on leaving Gohan at the door and getting back to the lookout at a supernatural speed. Piccolo directed Krillin to go back to Master Roshi's without bothering returning to the lookout. Krillin didn't like the idea at first, but decided not to argue with the green man.

Gohan slowed down when he noticed that she rand much slower than he did, then came to a stop at the edge of the lookout. Videl came to a stop at his side and looked down. Once she saw the extreme height they stood above fear struck her and she jerked towards Gohan, grabbing him for security. A voice in her headreminded her to be strong and as Gohan looked down at his friend holding onto him tightly she nonchalantly let go and dropped her hands to her side in fists.

"Don't be scared, Videl. You won't fall. I can fly, so even if you did I would just catch you! There is nothing to worry about."

"I'm not scared!"

"Yes you were, you panicked and grabbed me!"

"I _was _scared. But now I'm choosing not to be. I want to be strong."

Gohan blinked at her, processing her words. She spoke a life that he had been living daily without fear. Gohan had always kept his battle betweenhis fear and the demands around him an internal battle. But she spoke them to life and created their existence, proving herself in confidence. He could learn something from her, he decided.

"Oh. That's very good. I like that."

"Hmph. Well, it's only true."

"We're on Kami's lookout. Which, I guess, is now Dende's lookout. Dende is the guardian of the earth."

"The littlest green alien?"

"Yes, that's Dende. He's my friend from the planet Namek."

"Oh, that's cool. Have you been there?"

"Yeah. I went with Krillin and our friend Bulma. My dad met us there and he defeated another evil alien named Frieza. Dende ended up coming back to earth one day to be our new guardian after the old one merged with Piccolo."

"Merged with Piccolo?"

"Yeah. Namekians can fuse together with one another permanently to add their strengths. And well, Kami and Piccolo were once one. Kami was the wise, good half and Piccolo was the strong and evil half. But don't worry, Piccolo is good now. He was my first martial arts teacher."

"Oh, interesting." Videl processed that information. "How are you so strong, Gohan?"

He paused and looked down. "I really don't know. Piccolo taught me everything he knew and so did my dad. I've always just wanted to help and do my absolute best. I failed if I didn't do my best. And everyone always told me there was just something special about me, so I had to find that special thing they were talking about. I couldn't stop until I found it."

"Did you ever find it, Gohan? What was so special about you, I mean?"

"Yeah, I think I did. I have a big heart, I guess. When people I love, like my dad, or our friends, were threatened or hurt, something in me snaps and all of a sudden I'm overwhelmed by my own strength. I can't even tell it's there otherwise, really."

"Well. I think you're pretty special, Gohan."

"Thanks, Videl!"

The two of them smiled at one another when they noticed their three adult supervisors standing behind them.

"Videl, we've decided we must return you to your family on earth. You have a father down there, very worried about where you are. A friend of ours is going to come pick you up after we eat to take you to him, alright?" Dende said, finally speaking up after having confidence poured into him by his two mentors.

"Okay." Stay strong, Videl told herself. No matter what fear came at her she would remember to stay strong. Gohan was strong. He had special power deep inside him he never knew about, maybe she did too? She did, she decided. So she would stay strong.

Gohan's face dropped a little, but he looked at Videl. She looked fine. She was being strong, he thought. He would be strong too. Besides, she would be on earth with him. It's not like they would go years without seeing each other again!


	4. Leaving the Lookout

A/N: I love this! I'm getting hooked on the story as well, and am very excited about where it will go. If you have suggestions, questions, critiques, or praise...please LET ME KNOWW! review review review :) gotta love it.

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Chapter 4

Leaving the Lookout

Bulma Briefs landed her jet atop the lookout before the meal was fully finished. Gohan was still scarfing down food, while Videl slowly picked at hers. Nerves bounced around inside her muscles as she anticipated her leave from the phenomenal heights the the lookout held. Her thoughts ran rampant in her mind as she tried maliciously to capture them and toss them aside. Being okay was all that really mattered to her. If she appeared to be strong and okay on the outside, as if she could handle anything then everyone would believe she really could. No one would know her true internal battle within herself. She would choose who she was perceived to be.

"Wow, that's Mr. Satan's daughter?" Bulma looked at the girl from a distance as she spoke with the elder Namekian.

"Yeah, that's her."

"She looks so calm. And Gohan is pulverizing that food like a monster and she seems completely unphased!"

"She's been like this since she woke up. We can all sense her internal struggles, but she never shows a hint of them on the surface. It's truely incredible." Yes, the men had all been sensing her fight within ash they felt spikes in her energy from what they perceived to be nervousness or anytime she was startled. The girl's facade was remarkable though. If someone taught her how to control her energy and she gained some real power, she would be a real threat, in all honesty.

Her energy, Piccolo thought. He'd only retrieved her from the Cell Games because of her energy. Something about it was more than the ordinary, special really. And as she spent more time on the lookout, under close observation Piccolo decided she had extreme potential. He was right about her energy being like Gohan's. He had no idea whether or not she had any fighting abilities, but her energy did have something far into it's depths, something electric feeling. It was a spark that felt inspiring, like she was unstoppable. Yet Piccolo could feel her energy and sense the truth, she was only mildly stronger than any average human her age. She was far from unstoppable he thought, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to keep an eye on her.

"Wow, she's a tough one huh? And her and Gohan? Ehh?"

Piccolo looked away in a loss of patience for her earth woman suggestions but replied nonetheless. "Yes, they've spent all their time together and are very adorable, I know, I know."

"Wow! This is incredible, Piccolo!"

"Yeah, yeah. Are you ready to take her to her father?"

"I guess. What am I supposed to say? They're going to interview me about this, Piccolo. The earth has alot of press and with her being the daughter of Hercule, the 'hero' of the Cell Games in a 'desperate' search for his lost daughter, I'm going to be put under alot of heat!"

Piccolo thought for a moment and soon formed an idea to fit Bulma's need for an ease of her fears. As he explained his plan to her, Gohan and Videl were finishing eating and Videl asked Gohan who the blue haired woman speaking to Piccolo was.

"That's Bulma. She can be a lot to handle sometimes, but she's very nice."

"Why did she get picked to take me home?"

"Because Bulma and her father run Capsule Corporation."

"What is that?"

"Capsule Corp. is some big company that makes Bulma and her family rich. They have a huge house with labs and stuff in it."

"Oh, that's pretty cool. Do we get to go see?"

"Sure! I'll just ask Bulma if we can go to her house before we drop you off!"

"There won't be a 'we' dropping her off, kid." Piccolo and Bulma had approached the young ones as they finished their conversation and were now ready to leave.

"What do you mean Piccolo?"

"I mean that Bulma is going to take Videl home alone. I'm taking you home to Chichi."

"What? But I wanted to go! She's my friend and she doesn't know anybody but me!"

"I know, Gohan. But it has to be this way. I promise this is all for a reason, kiddo." Bulma spoke up from next to Piccolo. "Alright Videl, my name is Bulma. Are you ready to go?"

Videl looked at Gohan who wore his emotions on his face as she masked hers away. His sadness filled her own heart as she watched his face, so she looked away from him. "Yes, I'm ready." She stood from her place at the table and walked away with Bulma towards the Capsule Corp jet. Gohan rose quickly and grabbed her arm to stop her. She jerked her face around to look at him, startled.

"Bye, Videl. I'll come and visit you, okay?"

Videl grinned, quietly. She nodded her head and turned back to Bulma. Videl felt her anxiety bublling sporatically in her chest, but she felt at peace. She felt like this was supposed to be happening.

Gohan watched them enter the jet and fly away much slowed than he could fly on his own. Piccolo nudged him and took to the skies, leaving no words behind him. Gohan understood his old master and flew after him, concern on his face. He felt an emptiness for a moment, a lack of satisfaction which was a feeling so foreign to him. She quickly became his best friend, and only friend his own age, and now she was gone. He worried about how she was going to go home to her goof of a father not having a single memory of him. She was so strong, but so helpless. Gohan was supposed to be helping her, and learning from her. She was everything he wasn't. And now he was flying behind his green, alien teacher following him to his own home in the wilderness in a completely opposite direction from where Bulma had taken his new friend.

"Gohan, I don't want you to visit Videl."

"What? Why Piccolo?" Anger had struck him first, but he quickly threw that emotion away and held to his confusion. She needed him, how else would she learn any new things? She didn't trust anyone else! They were all the enemy until Gohan told her otherwise.

"Her father is supposed to be the man who saved the world by defeating Cell and his daughter has no memory of anything except you, Gohan, the one who actually killed Cell. Do you see how problems will surface quickly? We need her transition to go smoothly. Once Hercule realizes she has memory loss and confusion she will be taken to a hospital and they will start treating her to return back to normal, which she will do eventually. You would only disturb her progress. It's best if you stay away from her, Gohan. It's best if she forgets you completely."

Gohan refused to even look at his mentor. He was trying to process everything he'd said. He was trying to understand... But he didn't see it as a closed door. He had options. He could obey, or disobey. And he could disobey openly, or quietly. Though he knew that Piccolo was staying with Dende and Mr. Popo, whom they hadn't even said goodbye to, and would be keeping guard over both his and Videl's lives. They were both in for major transitions upon their homecomings. But Gohan couldn't just leave Videl to go through all of this alone. And with his own father gone, maybe this new friend was what he needed. He couldn't just never see her again, could he?

But it wasn't like Gohan to disobey Piccolo. He was his first teacher, and his father's friend. They trained him together. He obeyed both of them down to the 't'. And if Piccolo was saying that staying away would be better for her, than maybe it was...

But that would be letting her be brainwashed into the lie that everyone else was believing of Hercule. Videl already knew the truth, why couldn't she just keep it? Since when did the truth need to be a secret thing?

Since it was necessary for protection, Gohan thought to himself a thought much like something his father would answer him. The people's safety would always come first. But was Videl really in harm's way?

Gohan had no idea what to do, what was the right decision? He could easily obey Piccolo, but there was something deep within himself, something that sparked some energy from his most inner being that wanted to fight for something else. He couldn't just leave his friend? He was all she had. But he wanted to do what was best for her.

Gohan just couldn't tell what was the right thing to do.


	5. Awake at Midnight

A/N: I've loved asking people's thoughts and what y'all think should happen next and what Gohan should do... Love it! Anyway, this has taken a little bit longer to get out than the other chapters...but I've still gotten them out pretty fast comparitively. SO! Let me hear what you think, your ideas and opinions matter...and they motivate and teach! Like, now I know what fluff is ;) haha! R&R! and enjoy :)

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Chapter 5

Awake at Midnight

Gohan had just about had enough. The darkness loomed around him and the thick emotions of the Son household seemed to suffocate him more with every breath he took. He could clearly hear his mother's sobs from her and her dead husband's room, and though the loss was active and painful within himself, he had chosen already not to be upset and was not going to go back on it. He would not give himself permission to weep the way his human mother did. Gohan didn't blame Chichi, he could understand why she was reacting the way that she was, but it had been days since Gohan had returned and even more so since Krillin had first broken the news to hers and she was still helpless over it all. Gohan was not helpless, and he never would be. He refused. But being surrounded by such morose was becoming too much fo rthe young Saiyan boy. He must escape. There was no other option at this point. He'd reached desperation. Now it was either escape this hellhole or give into the weakness of misery. Gohan refused to be weak. Not anymore. That Gohan was long gone, shattered after seeing his father helplessy attacked by a heart virus from the future, and completely murdered when he watched his father sacrifice his own life to save him and all his friends from the enemy Gohan himself wouldn't defeat. The cowardly Gohan died the moment he stood face to face with Cell after his father was dead because of the monster.

Gohan creaked his window open, though he probably didn't really need to be careful at all with the sounds coming from his mother's throat drowning out anything he could produce short of an energy blast. He had yet to decide where he was going, but he knew that he was going to get away from here as fast as he could. His frustration nearly led him to ascension to his blond haired form, but his young wisdom told him to keep his energy as low as possible as not to alarm anyone who could sense energy, all of whom could possibly put a damper on his little night out. Slowly, Gohan liifted his body into the air using only enough energy to propel him away from the sadness he so longingly desired to leave behind.

Once he was a safe distance away from his mountain district home he actually decided to choose where he would be flying to. There were only a few places that stood out in his mind that he had ever really wanted to go to: Capsule Coproration, though the gravity room was extremely tempting amidst his current frustrations, this was hardly a time to head anywhere near Vegeta's direction, Master Roshi's, which was out of the questoin what with Krillin living there now, the lookout, also not an option due to Piccolo's implied presence along with the guardian of the earth and not to mention that he's just gotten back from there recently and wasn't too happy over the exit that had taken place! Wait. Leaving the lookout... Piccolo had taken him home the day that Bulma had taken home Videl to Orange Star City.

Videl.

He'd only thought about her once or twice since the day they'd left the lookout. His mind had easily been wrapped up in his mother's gloom and the lack of his father's presence, and when he had allowed the girl to come to his mind he'd remembered Piccolo's conversation with him about how much better it would be if he was forgotten by her. But Gohan hadn't really wanted to be forgotten. Videl was his friend, a very good one at that! She never questioned anything he told her and easily trusted his strange world she couldn't have been used to, memory loss or not. And thinking of her memory loss - how had she managed to remember anything without him? He was the only thing the girl was certain of, aside from what he told her! How was she surviving without him? Suddenly Gohan's heart seemed to lurch forward as he thought of his strong, helpless friend.

He had to go find her.

Careful not to spike his energy bringing himself alive on the internal sensors of his warrior allies, Gohan sped for Orange Star City. Surely Hercule's house wouldn't be too hard for him to find, right? Gohan thought he remembered that Hercule Satan had won a World Martial Arts Tournament recently...surely he'd have some wild home newly bought from his prize money. But Gohan soon realized that finding Hercule would be even easier than he had hoped. As he hovered over the highly populated, wealthy city he easily noticed that the city was no longer called Orange Star City. Banner were erected throughout the town declaring the newly named Satan City. Gohan's eyes pressed together a little at his confusion. But something quickly broke his loose thoughts about the strange city.

A spark of energy flared within his registration.

The spark was small. It was not a flare, nor a spike, but merely a spark. Something very light had struck its power in a way that Gohan managed to feel it. And something within him told him that was exactly what he was looking for.

Following the instinct Gohan flew towards his new found spark that had yet to fade.

He hovered above a large house with multiple floors and a backyard full strange equipment and sectioned off areas with different designs. A large pool of water glowed in the night and Gohan noticed men in black standing in front of the front and the back doors. There were few lights on inside the house and only one seemed to have a sign of life coming from it. That sign of life was the spark he'd followed to get here. He considered going down to the front door to ask if this was the home of Videl Satan, but he quickly decided that he didn't care to waste the time. He could simply fly to the spark and see if that was her or not, then go on from there.

As he lowed himself down to the window of the glowing room, he began to notice the balcony coming out from the house beneath the full length window right above the pool of water below. He landed silently on the balcony and a clock inside the room read, 12:14. Gohan registered the time as he looked around the room carefully. Everything in the room was grey and a deep blue color. Videl's endlessly deep eyes flashed in his mind. He recognixed the memory and saw it as a good sign that this would be her home, and her room. The glow from the room belonged to television casting its light throughout the room. Its screen was facing a large bed with deep blue blankets covering its surface. Tucked neatly under the covers was a girl with dark hair and blue eyes. She sat up watching the television mindlessly.

Videl!

Gohan wasn't sure how exactly to get her attention without being weird, but since he was already on her balcony he decided there wasn't much getting out of being weird now. He walked closer to the glass door between the two dark haired preteens. As gently as possible, he tapped on the translucent door and waited for her to respond.

The girl crinkled her nose and furrowed her brow as she staerted hearing the noise coming from her right, outside her balcony door. She ignored it the first time, thinking it was just a strange noise, but when she heard it a second time she grabbed onto a stuffed animal close by and turned her head slowly. When she saw the person staring inside of her room she immediately froze. Fear rushed through her body, starting down at her tows and climaxing within her chest as she squeezed her stuffed animal for dear life. She gulped down her adrenaline and peered at her new threat. It was dark where he was and she couldn't really see much of him, and after the days she'd been through lately she didn't really expect to recognize the person even if she was supposed to be able to. She let out a breath and attempted to accept the danger before her as she rose from her comfort and walked to the cold, glass door. But as soon as she placed her hand on the handle to the sliding door, she noticed a pair of innocent eyes that seemed troubled beyond her liking. Her nerves gentled within her as she looked at the boy's hair before her, realizing the mess of dark hair was of a friend and not a foe. She couldn't put a name to the face that was causing this feeling overwhelming inside of her, but she easily put her guard down to trust an instinct within her that she knew had somehow not forgotten.

The door between them slid open and all pressures from angry, prideful fathers and heavy mourning mothers faded away as the two young children felt a simple peace within them that they could not name in any other place. Each took a deep breath and Gohan smiled ever so slightly. Something within Videl sparked and recognition bloomed on her face.

"Gohan!" she bounded for him on her balcony and wrapped her small, breakable human arms around the solid imprenatrable fortress that was the alien boy in her midst. Gohan smiled and called her by name also. "Videl!"

Any thought of returning home soon left Gohan's mind completely as life entered his being for the first time in days.


	6. The Rooftop

A/N: I probably should have just put this chapter and the last together into one...but I didn't! So here you go, two chapters in one night.

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Chapter 6

The Rooftop

"Gohan, it's not really safe for us to be on the balcony like this."

A puzzled look adorned his face.

"Gohan...it's terrible. But we can't talk about it here. Its not safe. Trust me?"

Gohan looked at her wondering. At first his thoughts were that of strength, contemplating what in the middle of a human city could be considered a threat to him. But then he decided the humbler route, like his father had always taken before him, never assuming or underestimating an opponent.

"Okay. Then let's go somewhere else!" Gohan suggested politely, with quiet excitement in his voice.

"Where do you expect us to go, Gohan? It's late and we're on a balcony above a swimming pool!"

"I can fly, remember?"

That hadn't dawned on Videl. Her memories, even her new ones were very shakey and vulnerable to change with all that had been going on since she'd been home. "Oh. Right. Well, I can't fly."

"I can carry you, of course."

"But Gohan, we're almost the same size!"

"Videl, do you even remember who I am? Gohan...from the CELL games...GOHAN! I'm strong enough to carry you when I fly, Videl."

Videl closed her eyes in pain at the thought of the Cell Games. Her memories had been tortured within her since she'd been home and the Cell Games were the last thing she ever wanted to think about ever again.

"Right. Let's go then."

Gohan noticed her cold reply, but didn't bother to say anything about it. He moved a step closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist and easily lifted from the ground. Her heart skipped a beat at the rush of doing something she had always htought o be humanly impossible. They floated to the roof of her house and Gohan placed her on an incline that wasn't too deep that she couldn't sit comfortbly without worry of slipping. He sat next to her and looked into her eyes for a sign of the next word, but he never saw anything flicker.

"Did you know that you have really cool energy?"

"Uh, no. What does that even mean?"

"I can sense energy, if a being is strong enough it stands out. Though most normal people have extremely low energy levels and don't even make a blip on my radar. However you have something alive about your energy like no other energy I've ever felt before! It's pretty cool, I think."

"Wow, so I really am stronger than most people on the earth?"

"Well, no. Not really. It's just like all the energy I've ever sensed, big or small, is blue and normal, and yours is small, but pink or something!"

"Ew, pink? Why pink?"

"Don't girls like pink?"

"Not all of us..."

"Oh. Hey, what did you mean by saying you really are stronger than most people on earth?"

"They've been telling me that ever since I got here."

"Really! Wow, that's cool."

"No, Gohan, it's awful! They've been feeding me so many lies and telling me they're truths! They're brain washing me to fit into their lives, my old life... But you are the truth, Gohan! You beat Cell, not that Hercule man."

"Your father is telling everyone he beat Cell?"

"Yes, they even named the whole city after him. It's a joke, Gohan."

"That's awful, Videl."

"Aren't you even upset? He took your credit! He's in the house now. You can kill him if you want, I won't mind. You could take me home with you!"

"No, Videl. I didn't ask for credit. And I wouldn't want the attention, it wasn't really a happy day for me."

"Gohan, seriously, can I go home with you? We can be best friends forever! We can both know the truth and be happy. Gohan, I'm scared here..."

"Videl, my home isn't a place where even I want to be right now. Be rational, okay?"

"Gohan! Are you even listening to me! You sound like some boring adult! I'm eleven Gohan, and I'm in a place where I don't know anyone, no one cares about me, and I'm terrified they're gonna brainwash me into their lives! I'm not a pawn Gohan. I can't be..."

"Videl, I promise I wouldn't let anyone hurt you. But this is what Piccolo sees to be the best option for you, and he is, in a way, the guardian of the earth. If him and Dende see this as a safe situation, I believe them. They think highly of you. They sense your spark, too."

"You don't understand."

"Life is supposed to be hard. If it wasn't we would never have a need to grow stronger to meet it, to surpass it. You can do this. I know you can."

Videl looked down at the roof of her supposed new home. He just didn't understand. He wasn't around to see what they were really doing to her here. He didn't know that they were stripping away her identity and the only truths she knows to carry with it, including Gohan.

"I'm kinda tired now. I think I want to go back to my room. I've had along day." Videl didn't try to cover her lies for a second, but Gohan, innocent as usual didn't catch on for a second.

"Alright," the Saiyain complied, reluctantly.

He grabbed her by the waist and hovered her back down to her balcony, setting her on her feet. Both of them bearing long faces, stepped away from each other slowly. Videl had worry lines creasing throughout her forehead and Gohan had a clenching concern for her in the pit of his stomach. His emotions didn't sink in too deep though, due to the fact that the whole reason he'd come looking for her was to find happiness instead of more to stress over. Gohan felt himself putting up a small wall to keep him from hearing her wholey, in an act of preserving his own burdened heart.

Videl read this in his face, knowing the boy to be too genuine to be able to hide his true self in a mask upon his face. She looked down, losing her hope at the same rate she was losing the seconds left she had in this moment with him.

"Gohan, promise me something?"

He looked up at her, something new crossing his face. Perhaps a look of curiousity, she decided.

"Sure, anything."

"Never forget about me, please..."

"Videl, why would you think I would forget about you?"

"Don't worry about that Gohan. I just...I'm worried about myself. And I'm scared. I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me."

"Never forget that you are my best friend, okay?"

"Videl, you're starting to be a little strange..."

Videl's eyes lowered, knowing that none of this was working and she merely sounded like clingy girl. She'd always been weak to Gohan though, he was all she had left. And he would be gone too. She could feel it.

"Sorry, Gohan." She quickly leaned towards him and kissed his cheek before he could register what was going on then turned to walk inside. Peeking from behind the closing glass she spoke one last time. "Just in case I don't get a chance to do that again... Goodnight, Gohan."

Videl had turned and waslkd back to her television, turning off its power and layng down in her bed, leaving Gohan dumbstruck in her wake. He touched his hand to where she'd kissed him and rubbed it, as if he would feel a new sensation there like she'd left a pieve of her behind on him. But when nothing happened he lifted himself from the balcony and began his flight home.

"Girls are so weird."

Overhead a green Namekian watched the boy glide through the sky effortlessly headed home to his now sleeping mother.


	7. School?

Super excited about this update! Sorry it's been longer than usual. Been travelling and ended up stranded in Louisiana, then rescued, then stranded again in Dallas, but am finally home :) haha!

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thank you so so so much for them!

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thanks for everything!

REVIEWWWW!

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Chapter 7

School?

Gohan's brow was furrowed in frustration at his mother's refusal for his most recent proposal and no matter how hard he tried to move past his mother's words and simply continue on with normal activity, he just couldn't seem to shake his disappointment at her rejection. He wanted to be good and do exactly what his mother wanted, but the last few weeks had been a little rough as fall was so quickly encroaching on the two of them. Gohan was doing all he could hunting wise to help his mother prepare for the upcoming winter that required extra preparation due to his father's absense and the approach of the newest member of their humble family. Summer was over, really. It had flown past Gohan's senses as he was at the every beck and call of his expecting mother. She did her best to always be reasonable with the young boy, Gohan was still only eleven after all, he was hardly in a place to be the man of a house taking care of a pregnant grown woman. However, Gohan had seemed to step up to the plate, exhausting himself to make his mother happy and demanding perfection from himself. He hunted, he studied, he learned to help his mother with cooking and cleaning, even laundry. Gohan had even began his own secret training time while his mother was sleeping to exert some of his housed up energy that was burning within him, begging for release since the end of the Cell Games. His power had become so great and demanded so much from him, Gohan vowed within himself to train in remembrance of his father.

Goku. His idle. Gohan couldn't remember a time when his father wasn't his hero, not only actually rescuing him and the entire planet, but also being the example of the man Gohan had decided to aspire to be. Gohan knew that his father had quirks and flaws, but the principles his father stood upon were pure, tested by flames and Gohan knew as he grew he would be put through trial and tribulation but that he would also stand firm and come forth as gold, just as his father did before him. Gohan held a dedicated, innocent fervor for his beloved, deceased father.

Gohan had been running himself ragged with responsibility. He trained himself thoroughly, but had mainly had to learn deeper, more powerful forms of meditation to keep his body fully capable of anything his mother might need. Often she would reject his help with cooking and cleaning, desperate to maintain a sense of importance around the house, but many times Gohan would purposefully beat her to her tasks while always remaining aware to leave things to keep her preoccupied. Today he had spent an obscene amount of time working on all of his studies, but his thoughts had began to wander to places that they hadn't been in months. He was years ahead in his studies than most kids his age, at least being capable of senior level schoolwork, if not far beyond and into college. And as he started to think of other kids his age, he began remembering the rest of the world. He wondered what Krillin would be up to right about now. He thought about Bulma and Vegeta, baby Trunks and Mirai Trunks from the future. He thought about Piccolo and Dende up there with Mr. Popo. But his thoughts of Piccolo seemed to bother his mind, like there was something he was forgetting, someone he was forgetting. I mean, there was Yamcha and Tien. Chiautzu and maybe Oolong and Master Roshi? It felt like so much longer than just a few months since he'd seen them all. The last time he'd seen anyone besides his mother was -

Videl.

He'd completely forgotten about her. Guilt had rushed through Gohan's veins as she remembered his last encounter with his only friend his age. He'd promised not to forget that were to be best friends. What kind of friend was he? His mind began to plague him with negativity as he strained to find a solution to correct his mistakes of the past months. After many moments passed he came to one possible idea. He had chosen to pitch it to his mother, an incident which now left him in his current frustration.

"Mom, can I ask you about something kind of huge?" Gohan had asked her.

"Of course Gohan, I am your mother. You can talk to me about everything."

"Okay, just promise to really think about this and not to jump to any kind of conclusion? Can you promise that?"

"What, Gohan?" She chuckled to herself. "What is so serious that you're afraid to ask me about it?"

"I... I, uh... I was wondering if I could go to school with kids my age?"

Chi-Chi stopped scrubbing the dish in her hand from the earlier lunch. Her face scrunched together ever so slightly from either anger or serious thought. Gohan really hoped it was a serious consideration. Moments passed before she would turn to face him as he waited patiently, but with tension.

"Why would you want to go to school? You're so far ahead Gohan, I don't think it would help your learning. You'd be so bored, honey!"

"But mom, I think I need to go. I mean, I need to have real credibility to get into college and I don't want to get behind by starting too late." Gohan's innocense radiated through his wide eyes as his mom looked down at him in concern.

But Chi-Chi couldn't bare to think of her son going away for eight hours to the big city alone every day. Her baby was only eleven years old and she would be left completely alone the majority of the year. It couldn't be a good idea. But her son was making a plausible argument. She just couldn't bear to let him go.

"Gohan, my answer is no."

The stern look in his mother's eyes meant she was very serious, and the conversation was over but Gohan felt the fight in him mustering. Something deep within him burned for the right thing, as if his power was stirred by righteous cause. Gohan's whole heart felt that this was his answer to leaving his friend behind. His mind wandered to remember her face and the purity in her blue eyes, eyes so different from his own. He remembered being with her on the lookout when they were friends, when he was all she had...and now he had left her completely without a second thought. He would rot for how he mistreated someone's trust! Fire burned within him as something welled and bubbled from his center. He knew he wouldn't be able to contain it much longer. His control was about to burst.

"I need to find Vegeta. Don't wait up for me. I'll be fine."

Then Gohan shot himself out of the nearest window with a gold glow left behind in his wake.


	8. Piccolo's Wisdom

I love this chapter.

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:)

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Chapter 8

Piccolo's Wisdom

Originally there was no intention of actually going to Vegeta in the midst of Gohan's sudden rise in power, but as his thoughts were thrown recklessly around in his head his frustration was building into rage. Logic was slipping from Gohan's grasp as flew through the air faster than any man made machine on earth all the while maintaining a glow of glory. His face was stone and Capsule Corp became his destination, knowing full well that Vegeta would react to his spike in power level and be prepared for him in whatever way he saw would be necessary. He flew faster, more uncontrollably, finally seeming to come unhinged from all the pressure that had been building so tremedously upon his shoulders. A moment finally came when he was flying fully blind from his emotions.

Then he was falling.

A crack hit his back in mid-air sending him spiraling down to the earth below. Fury propelled him upward to counter, but he was not fast enough. A fully Super Saiyan Vegeta slammed his hand down on the neck of the pre-teen Saiyan in front of him, blind to his presence behind him. Gohan's eyes seemed to register into reality as they darkened to normal, his hair falling only to fly upwards as the boy fell to the ground, unconscious.

Vegeta's facial expression never changed, seemingly looking down upon the boy in more ways than one. Disgust masked his face as if wondering how the filth of a half blood was even alive, let alone supposedly stronger than Vegeta himself. He felt anger rising further in him, but he shoved it aside choosing apathy instead.

"Thanks Vegeta. I'll take him from here."

Piccolo walked out from the shadows of covering trees with a stern face frozen in match with Vegeta's. He knelt beside his student, whom he felt wildly responsible for in Goku's absence, and lifted him from the ground, throwing him over his green shoulder.

"Hn. Be my guest."

Piccolo lifted his feet from the ground and to his surprise, Vegeta watched from the earth as he flew away with his enemy's son in his possession instead of flying off with his pride held high. Vegeta held firm to his scowl, but by the way he watched until Piccolo disappeared into the clouds before moving a muscle you would have thought the Prince of all Saiyans actually cared.

Piccolo flew to the lookout, before caually dropping Gohan into the first bed he happened upon. Without even turning his gaze from the boy sleeping before him, he spoke.

"She we wait for him to wake up first?"

Dende and Mr. Popo stood at the door watching the scene before them. The boy hardly looked like a boy at all anymore. If it wasn't for his height, there would hardly be a way of telling him from any other man, any other warrior actually. Gohan's face looked far from peaceful. Anger was stricken painfully on his features, tension in his muscles held tight even in unconsciousness. Gohan was eleven going on forty before their very eyes.

"I.. I don't know. I've finished the alterations to the room as you asked, but I feel the boy deserves some sort of explanation before we leave him alone."

"He'll figure things out on his own, like he's been doing."

"Piccolo, being left on his own is what got him to this state. You should write him a note, then we will leave him. And if you don't write one, I will. The boy will get an explanation, but it's more than obvious none of us need be in his path. Agreed, Piccolo?"

Piccolo held high respect for Mr. Popo after his fusion with Kami, and though technically Piccolo was the qualified one for authority out of the three of them, he'd chosen to lower himself beneath the other two alien men remaining at his position of a warrior and only a warrior. When Mr. Popo spoke to Piccolo in the commanding way he just had, it was usually because he needed to speak Kami's truth to the King Piccolo who didn't want to hear what was best. The eldest green man nodded and left the room, leaving the two smaller men to linger behind with the unstable boy motionless on the white bed. They glanced painfully his way, knowing full well what Gohan had been through since the Cell Games, always watching over him. They had forseen this turn of events as a likely possibility, unaware at what triviality would cause him to snap beneath his well-carried burden.

After Dende recreated the dragon for the dragon balls, Piccolo felt Dende might be able to somehow rewire the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to have no limit to the amount of time a single being could spend within it, however keeping it to a minimum of a few days of maximum use at a time for the outside world. Gohan had already spent one day inside of the chamber, and now Piccolo was sending him in again, no choice given. Gohan may have seemed so much older because of the way he aged within the chamber during his first visit causing him to appear closer to twelve or thirteen than only eleven. Now he would appear to be even older within a few days, more than likely emerging as a young teenager. Many concerns plagued Dende's mind about throwing the Sayain boy, his friend, into a place where a year's time would pass in what would really only be one span of twenty four hours here on earth without giving the boy any choice in the matter. But Piccolo demanded and for some reason, Mr. Popo thought he was right. Dende had trusted Mr. Popo's guidance from the moment he stepped foot on the earth's lookout and wasn't going to start doubting him now, though he couldn't help but feel the worry in the pit of his perpetually empty stomach.

* * *

"Woman, Kakarot's mate will be calling you sometime within the next twenty four hours looking for her offspring. You will notify her that he is with Piccolo training and will return to her soon."

Bulma's jaw dropped as she stared at the oaf of an alien man she found herself in love with.

"What?"

"My end of the deal has ben held up and completed. You know what you need to know. You will take care of the pregnant woman and her earthly worries. I'm finished here." Vegeta walked casually out of the room at Capsule Corp as Bulma Briefs watched his sculpted body moving away from hers. She attempted to process the information he'd spoken, trying to force any anger towards him away as to remember everything she felt she needed to remember. Chi-Chi was not her favorite person to talk to at this point, but after everything she''s been through and still going through, Bulma was kind of glad to actually be helping her. Little did she know the phone call was coming sooner rather than later.

* * *

Gohan's eyes opened slowly as his jaw unclenched and his muscles ached awake. The brightness of his surroundings immediately sent him sorting through his memories as to where he could possibly be, but came up without an answer. His memory seemed exceptionally blank in his current state. The last thing he could remember was sitting at his desk. Remembering Videl. He shook his head, shoving his own unpleasantness away from him, unsuccessfully, as he finally began to look around. The room he was in was extremely familiar to him, but he couldn't quite remember exactly why he couldn't put a name to this place. But quickly his father's face flashed in his mind and he remembered.

"I'm in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

Frustration flooded his body as he looked around frantically for another person or the sounds of battle in the distance. But there was nothing. He stood to his feet from the plain, perfectly white bed he was laying in and walked around. He found it to be just as he had remembered it from his time with his father. The fridge was newly stocked with mass quantities of food, cabinets surrounded it full of more things to satisfy his massive appetite and closer back towards his bed sat a large stack of training gi's - half the dark blue and red he wore for Piccolo and half perfect replicas of his father's own gi, except instead of the Turtle and Kai symbols they presented the sympols of Piccolo and Goku himself. Pride filled a place in Gohan's chest, but his frustrations of his entrapment had yet to leave. On top of the clothes made especially for him he found a small, folded piece of paper.

_Gohan, you need this. Trust me._

_-Piccolo_


	9. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber

A/N: This chapter is somewhat uneventful, but I LOVE Gohan. I make this up as I go, just writing what I would expect to see happen from the original series. I'll update again soon.

Maybe we'll catch up with Videl and see Gohan's new powers put to the test?

Review, please! :)

* * *

Chapter 9

The Hyperbolic Time Chamber

The void seemed more endless than the last time Gohan had been at its mercy. Probably because he had his father with him, which would have been mentally encouraging against the forces of the time chamber that warred against the fighter within it. Gohan could feel his emotions rising and battling for attention inside of him. Rage seemed to be the crowd favorite. But Gohan was trained better than that, his father was firm in his belief of remaining calm and taking in a situation for what it is and not just what you want it to be. Being locked inside of a time chamber by your former mentor seemed to be close to an earthling's term of solitary confinement within prison walls, sent there by your own trusted friend. No matter the fury that bubbled in his chest, he couldn't help but remember the "trusted" part of the "trusted friend". Piccolo had asked Gohan to trust him, though locking him away and asking for trust seemed alot to ask in Gohan's opinion. But Gohan had always tried to rise to the expectations of Piccolo and his father. If Piccolo thought Gohan needed this, then Gohan would meet the expectations that had been set so far above him. Knowing Piccolo, this test was probably more mental than physical.

Gohan chose a gi from the Piccolo stack and changed.

* * *

"How long do you plan to keep him in there, Piccolo?"

Dende and Piccolo were standing at the edge of the lookout, neither of them seeming to be able to concentrate on actually looking out for the earth below them. Dende kept turning to look in the direction of the time chamber, making eye contact with Mr. Popo who watered his flowers wordlessly. Piccolo was sternly meditating, his eyes closed and no motion being made whatsoever. Time passed without sound before Piccolo was willing to break his concentration to answer Dende's question.

"As long as it takes."

"As long as what takes? Piccolo, I don't like that I don't know what's going on. I've trusted you and Mr. Popo since I've arrived here on earth, but this hardly seems like something to keep me in the dark on. I know I am beneath the two of you in age, and maybe even in wisdom, but I am the guardian of the earth! I will do whatever it takes to do my job and do it right!"

"The boy is undergoing a chemical change within himself. He is unstable."

"Wh..what?"

"I ran into Vegeta while trying to investigate Gohan's crazy power spike. It was unreal how powerful he'd become so instantaneously. Vegeta quickly told me that Gohan was undergoing a Saiyan change similar to earthly puberty. And due to the boy's stress levels after Cell and his father's death it was wild and untamable, also early. It typically occurred closer to age fifteen or sixteen and much more slowly."

"Gohan's a threat to the earth because he's going through...puberty?"

"Sadly, yes. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber was an easy fix for this problem. Vegeta was actually the one to think of it."

"How long will this take? Gohan ages for real inside the chamber... I don't want him to come out of there a full adult!"

"I will release him when Vegeta comes to retrieve him."

"That's alot of faith to put in Vegeta..."

"He's the only Saiyan available Dende."

Dende looked down, obviously upset by the turn of events. Namekians usually never went through anything like puberty. He'd only heard about it through the scary stories they'd all told around a camp fire once. Scary stories of Goku's time with Bulma when he was just a boy. She's been in his nightmares for weeks afterwards...

"Don't worry, Dende. I'm giving Vegeta 30 hours. If he's not here by then I will release Gohan anyway."

Relief struck the Namekian's face and he took a deep breath.

"Now we wait."

* * *

Gohan hovered in the void, the door being miles from sight. His legs were crossed as he sat on air above the ground beneath him. He'd been trapped within the chamber for weeks already and his training had mostly consisted of this very meditation, though solo sparring and countless attempts to power up farther and farther were also included. Gohan had heard nothing but occasional explosions from his own power since he awoke here. He originally only found the chamber to add to his stress. His mother was now left alone, without him, to fend for herself and he was still racked with the guilt of forgetting his helpless female friend. At one point, lost in his thoughts, Gohan's body filled with fury as he tortured himself with his thoughts. He was blaming Piccolo for his imprisonment and even going as far to be hurt by his other friends, feeling as though they'd abandoned him, so young, to live on without his father like he was supposed to be a strong Super Saiyan boy day in and day out. His fury blinded him, just as it did outside of the chamber when Vegeta and Piccolo ambushed him. He roared with power as waves of flaming gold flew in every direction as they were released from his body. That day Gohan had felt as though his entire body was burning in his own anger.

But as his fury and blame was being thrown from friend to friend, a single face stopped Gohan dead in his tracks. His father's face flashed through his mind and slapped him across the face. Calm spread through him, along with further guilt. He'd nearly blamed his father for abandoning him, leaving him to handle the toughness of the real world on his own. He knew that being angry with his father could be completely understood and justifiable, but Gohan had vowed that he would never go against his father. Gohan trusted that his father knew what he was doing and his decisions would pay off in the end and as far as his mother went, she was probably the stongest woman on the planet! She had taken care of herself for much longer periods of time without Goku and Gohan than a mere day. He was going to choose to look at life the same way that his father did. That day of blinding rage turned into a day of great revelation for the boy. His greatest day of growth so far.

Since then he'd meditated more often, as he was doing now. Each day he traveled slightly farther into the void than the last, asking for further challenges from the thick atmosphere around him. He was in the process of examining the memories of his father's Instant Transmition technique as to replicate it on his own. He'd also discovered a deeper control over energy and suspected there could possibly be infinite levels beyond the Super Saiyan 2 ascension he now possessed under his control.

Gohan still sat motionless, concentrating peacefully when he admitted a thick gold arua from his ascended immobile state. A large golden lining surrounded him and spread outwards, slowly. Soon Gohan was sitting inside of a ball of his own energy. Without moving for even a breath, Gohan separated the energy into bands that still surrounded his frozen body. They began to turn in alternating directions, both trapping and protecting Gohan inside of the layered energy. Then the horizontal strips of light split once more into small balls, all seemingly moving in different directions yet never touching one another. Gohan remained still inside the brilliant orb of moving lights. After moments passed of the same thing, Gohan spread the orb out wider, and started a new orb from a new thick layer of energy directly from his still body, repeating the process with a new layer. This would go on all day.

He'd grown immensely since his decision to put his anger away, overcoming any hold it may have had on him. Gohan realized that he grew much more efficiently when he trained to release his anger, protecting any victims his own rage might have internally targeted. Peace seemed to be a better destination for training rather than raw power. This was possibly his greatest discovery yet.

* * *

"I don't think I can make it to 30 hours, Piccolo. I'm worried."

Piccolo had not moved from his spot on the edge of the lookout for the last ten hours, since his conversation with Dende two hours after the boy's admission into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

"It's not easy for me to wait either, Dende."

"I just can't help but feel like he's in danger being in there for so long alone!"

"I feel the same way as Dende, Piccolo. I don't want the boy to go mad. It would do more harm than good."

"I understand, Mr. Popo."

"Could we at least check on him? He's been alone for six months."

"No, but you can release him."

The three residents of the lookout darted their eyes to see the arrogant prince himself, hovering above the precipice off a far end of the ledge.

"Vegeta!" Dende called.

"Is it really time, Vegeta?" Piccolo had finally stepped down from his hovering position he'd held so firmly.

"Yes, now is as good of a time as ever."

Piccolo turned to Dende and Mr. Popo and nodded. Mr. Popo wanted to see Gohan emerge, but knew it would be more efficient if he left to begin cooking right away. Saiyans had always been proven to be hungry when they left the time chamber. Dende ran to the chamber's entrance as Piccolo and Vegeta held their pride in place, following behind slowly.

Gohan's head whipped around when he heard the loud shuffle of the large door to the time chamber open. He let his feet hit the ground as he walked calmly to the open door, as if he was mere checking to see who was at his door rather than that he was encroaching on his freedom.

Gohan looked mostly the same. He'd obviously recently recut his hair just as it had been the day he'd fought Cell. He'd grown just slightly in height, maybe an inch or two. His muscles were larger, but the difference there seemed to be less in size and more in tone. The eleven year old had muscles on his muscles. Though, he was really more like a thirteen year old now, wasn't he? His face was composed with an easy dignity, much like his father's own face of innocence. That was the largest change from the last time they'd seen the angry, clenching body of the Saiyan boy.

"Gohan!" Dende celebrated.

"Oh, hey guys!" Gohan smiled softly, keeping the moment nonchalant.

"How are you, Gohan?" Piccolo asked, seeking a detailed answer far beyond a simple 'fine'.

"Well, Piccolo. Thank you."

"I want more than that, kid!"

"Thank you for locking me in the time chamber, Piccolo. It did me a world of good."

"Like what, brat?" Vegeta chimed in.

"Nothing massive. Um, can I get something to eat...?"

"It's ready and waiting for you, Gohan!" Mr. Popo appeared behind them all, ready to lead the gang to the kitchen.

"Alright! Thanks Mr. Popo!"

* * *

"Look, I get it that you guys want a full summary of what happened but it was really nothing. I was angry when I woke up, but remembering my father reminded me that was pointless. I simply trained. I'm fine, really."

Piccolo shot a glance at Vegeta, wondering if this was how that Saiyan change was supposed to be happening, whether Gohan was really under control or simply in denial. Vegeta did not return the stare.

"So, if you don't mind, I'd really like to get home to my mom!"

"She won't be there." Vegeta spoke.

"What? Why not?" Gohan maintained innocence, naturally.

"The women are at Capsule Corp. My woman talked your mother into it, for her health. But how anyone would think living anywhere closer to me would be healthy is beyond me."

"Oh. Well, then. I guess we're off to Capsule Corp!"

"There is no 'we' boy."

And just like that, Vegeta blast off on his own, heading for his earth home.

"Gohan, are you sure you're okay? You looked pretty bad when Piccolo first brought you up here..." Dende was still worried about his first earth friend.

"Yeah, Dende. I actually feel great. The time chamber really did help... It got me thinking. And I learned alot of new things, actually! I just didn't really want Vegeta to know about them all.. He he.."

"Really Gohan?" Dende's childlike excitement spoke what Piccolo had chosen to keep within himself. "Like what?"

"Like this."

And with that Gohan put two fingers up to his forehead and nodded to his old master before disappearing out of sight.


	10. The World Champ

A/N: This chapter took longer than most, sorry! I haven't been feeling super good lately :(

I honestly had no idea where I was going when I wrote this chapter, but I think I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

What do you think?

* * *

Chapter 10

The World Champ

Particles rushed through the air, molding once again with one another to build themselves into the person they belonged to. Gohan appeared in the presence of the energy signal he'd chosen to target for his first Instant Transmission outside of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber: his mother and still forming baby brother. Their energies were extremely distinct to the young boy who was highly devoted to his pregnant mother. He'd been sensing the power level from her abdomen for a month or so now, being oblivious to it before. He was almost certain it was going to be a boy, that Gohan was going to have a baby brother. Chi-Chi was sitting on a couch watching the television in the living room nearest to the largest kitchen in the residential building of Capsule Corporation. She looked tired, and like she'd been cooking recently... _Ah. _Gohan smiled a small smile when his senses filled with the aroma of his mother's cooking. She was definitely waiting for him, hoping her son was coming home now.

So as not to startle her, Gohan knocked on the wall he stood in front of. Chi-Chi turned her head around to the noise in confusion but her eyes easily widened and a smile dawned her lips when she saw her son.

"You've grown!"

Gohan blushed, "Uh, he he, yeah, you age in the time chamber..."

"You're almost as tall as me now Gohan! I bet a growing boy like you is very hungry. Good thing I cooked. I knew you'd be home soon!"

Gohan looked strangely at his normally moody mother who was being unusually calm and sweet. He didn't really have anything to complain about, but he would definitely be paying attention...

"Yeah mom! Thanks!"

They walked together to the kitchen both with grins, but their minds on very different things. When Gohan started mauling the file of food she's set out for him, she went back to the couch and started paying attention to the television once more.

_"The press conference with the World Champion Martial Arts King on his defeat with Cell is merely minutes away folks. Don't touch your remotes! We'll be right back!"_

Gohan lifted his head, noodles hanging from his mouth.

"WHAT?! WHO IS TRYING TO TAKE MY SWEET BABY'S GLORY! WHAT A FRAUD! WAIT 'TIL I GET MY HANDS ON HIM!" Chi-Chi was foaming at the mouth, but remained seated due to her discomfort caused by her swollen belly.

Gohan dropped his food and ran to his mother in attempt to calm her fury. He waved his hands in front of her, "Mom, mom, it's alright! I don't want any glory. It wasn't exactly a day to remember for me..."

Understanding Gohan's reference to the death of her beloved husband, she closed her mouth and thought through her emotions. When she heard from Bulma that Gohan had to be locked away in that chamber just to regain real control over his emotions, her heart broke knowing that she'd not only let her precious baby become so stressed, but that it was also partly her fault. She hadn't really needed Bulma's help yet, but she decided it would be better for Gohan to be around more people he knew than just her...especially when the new baby did come. She'd even thought about his request to go to a public school with other kids in the city... But she decided she just wasn't ready for that, even if he was.

"I'm sorry Gohan..." But something seemed to catch both of their attentions now.

_"We are live as the Champ himself, Hercule Satan, is taking his place at the podium to make his official statement to the press about the long awaited end to the horrifying Cell Games and his triumph over evil that day."_

The screen cut from the announcer to Hercule behind a stand with at least twenty microphones surrounding him.

_"Hello people of Orange Star City and all over the world. I am Hercule Satan and I merely want to announce that I gave that poor excuse for a martial artist, Cell, exactly what was coming for him! It was easy really, I did it with one hand behind my back! The monster could have never taken my full power if I had really been trying... So, there can now be peace! Know that the world is safe again. I will be your guardian forever, good people of earth! Thank you!"_

Applause sounded layered with screaming fans and reporters screaming questions for the man who cheesed a smile out as he absorbed his excruciating amount of fame, visibly insane with all his self obsession. The camera switched back over to the original announcer.

_"Wow! What a statement! I think I speak for everyone when I say I'm grateful to our Champ here for our peace and freedom! He went from being hero only to his little daughter, Videl, to now being the symbol of a hero for the world. Now a special World Martial Arts Tournament will be held and sponsored by Mr. Satan himself, where in the top three finalists will receive the first three memberships to his new gym opening soon. But he has told us that he is taking students only! Which means for all you aspiring heroes out there between the ages of seven and eighteen, here is your chance for teaching from the Champ himself. Thank you for tuning in."_

Gohan was frozen in thought. He needed to collect everything he just witnessed.

-Hercule Satan openly took credit for his accomplishment.

-He was holding his own World Martial Arts Tournament in order to advertise for him new gym where he was planning to teach his style of fighting.

-His mother seemed on the verge of fainting.

-Videl. The girl from the lookout, without her memory, was Hercule's daughter.

Gohan started to add these things to his list of things to stress over until a new thought crossed into his mind. Instead of trying to manage the many things that seemed to pile up to stress and worry him, why didn't he ever just fix them? Because alot of situations needed to be treated much more gently than to just chase after the easy answer... But suddenly his old logic didn't seem to add up. Maybe he wasn't supposed to serve the stress that fed on his livelihood, maybe he was supposed to prove his power and control the situations. Maybe he had a few new things he needed to start doing. Maybe something good, no great, could come out of this... Maybe he just needed to shove all his fear out of his mind and follow his instincts. With a calm mind, he decided to never again to back down or bow down to anyone or thing that didn't deserve respect. Scared Gohan was dead. Scared Gohan died with his father.

Chi-Chi contained herself and turned to look at her son. In this moment, she hardly recognized him. He was standing tall, with confidence burning in his eyes. Though he remained calm, his smirk did seem so out of character on her innocent little boy's lips. It was like he was planning something pure evil. Before she could speak up about her worries, living rage entered the room.

"How did you beat me here brat?! I'm sick of your nonsense! I want this settled now! FIGHT ME!" Vegeta stormed in, with all his fury.

Gohan turned his head slightly to look at the man, and with a menacing taste he spoke, "Gladly."


	11. Saiyan Pride

A/N: Sorry it's been so long! Thanks for all the reviews! I've decided I want to put alot of Saiyan culture things in here, maybe not like a history lesson or anything. But I want Gohan to embrace his Saiyan side. Also I want there to be a "Saiyan Bond" which I'm planning to use up to and beyond it's potential. I'm also considering bringing in some OC's that will also be Saiyans at high school with Gohan and Videl. I've done alot of thinking... What's your input? Review and let me know what you think of this chapter as well as the story itself and all of my ideas I just put out there...

* * *

Chapter 11

Saiyan Pride

An unconscious Vegeta smacked down on the hard, cold floors of a Capsule Corp living room. Bulma abruptly set her warm tea down on a counter nearby and began moving towards her husband, and mate. Chi-Chi woke to Bulma's gasp and adjusted her pregnant form on the couch she had been resting on. Bruises and blood seemingly covered every inch of visible skin on his body. His loving wife knelt next to him, checking for every possible sign of life. It took a moment or two, but she discovered his frail breathing pattern and finally took a breath herself. As her shock left her, she looked up to the figure that had dropped her mate to the ground, the figure that had put her indestructible husband into such horrid shape.

Gohan watched Bulma's panic and saw his mother's fear behind her eyes. A fear he'd never remembered seeing before, a fear that actually made his mother silent instead of angry. A pang hit in his chest when he realized that his mother was afraid of _him._ Gohan wasn't a Super Saiyan at the moment, and hadn't been once the entire time he and Vegeta fought. For some reason, he found that he didn't need it. He'd watched as Vegeta hit every limit he had in the Gravity Room they'd chosen for their spar destination, all the while Gohan seemed to coast by with a never-ending supply of ruthless power. It had been strange at first, letting his instincts have control instead of his rationality, but once they were in fighting stances and Vegeta had the gall to smirk in his direction, the Saiyan boy was quick to put all other thoughts away for their battle - warrior to warrior. Once his mind was clear and his instincts lit like eternal flame, some new kind of power had flushed through his inner senses. Like a release of true Saiyan power finally sunk deep into his being. The raw power was now a treasure, easily accessible in his hands.

Their battle had been one of rage. Wrath spewed from each Saiyan, both using the other to fight a battle against those they could not face. Vegeta's fury towards Kakkarot was easily burdened onto his offspring, and Gohan's pent-up frustrations with his limitations, along with his new discoveries of the dishonor towards him that came from this embarrassment of a man, Hercule Satan was easily flooded towards his father's rival. Gohan was more than willing to step up to his father's plate, as far as Vegeta was concerned.

Quickly Vegeta recognized Gohan's newfound Saiyan pride along with a newly awakened strength. Plans flooded through the Saiyan Prince's mind throughout their fight, his own decision being internally made up until he was finally finished, knocked unconscious by a boy more than half his own age.

"Go..Gohan? What happened?" Bulma looked up at the boy who was barely taller than her down on her knees with her husband.

Gohan looked down at the woman, unaware of the fierce look that still remained in his eyes. He waited a few moments before deciding to speak in return to his long time friend.

"It was just a spar. He'll be fine."

The two women seemed unsure of what to do now, what with one of them being pregnant and the other being so weak. The boy before them was no longer a boy, but a young man with fire in his black eyes. Not even his mother spoke up against him this time. For once, she had nothing to say.

Gohan observed for a few moments, but still riled up became quickly bored. His thoughts wandered to the events of the fight, then the possibility of going to find a few friends to fight, but something else in his memories caught his attention. Videl was the daughter of the man who had taken his honor from him for the victory over Cell. _Her memories... What does she know now? _He hadn't seen her in so long, it felt like. Not since they were on the roof months ago. She'd been so weird that night. Constantly telling him it wasn't safe and to never forget that he was her best friend. Girls were so confusing, ge could barely understand his own mother half the time.

Without another thought, his instincts shot him off towards Orange Star City, leaving the speechless women behind to deal with Vegeta.

* * *

He landed on the same balcony he landed on when he last came to visit. The girl he came for was in the process of walking through the doors to return inside when his feet touched the ground. She looked different. Her hair seemed tired, if that was possible and her posture looked as if a new, but small, weight was now slightly on her shoulders. She hadn't even heard him make a sound.

"Videl?" Gohan asked, confidence flowing as his Saiyan senses absorbed new information about the girl. It registered her appearance, noting the heaviness in her eyes that hadn't been there before. It filed away her exact scent, never to mistake it for another's, and it read her energy dissecting it and planting it into his memory sparks of her very energy bouncing between itself and his own energy as she turned to see him for the first time.

Something in his Saiyan senses fit dramatically into place when her eyes looked into his. As if his power had been constantly shifting, scrambling to find its place and one look from this girl and every loose piece of his energy found its perfect place within his inner being. He had no idea what had just happened, but continuing to let his instincts drive him, he felt that this was a very good new feeling.

"Videl, it's Gohan. I don't look that different do I? I'm sorry it's been so long since I visited." He stepped forward as he spoke his last sentence, his palms up as he explained, openly.

She stepped back.

"Gohan?"

He furrowed his brow at the face she was making. It seemed so familiar...

"Who are you, Gohan?"

Something inside of him went cold, purely from instincts as Gohan was left confused by her remark and this new sadness within him. What was going on inside of him? Were Saiyan instincts always like this?

"You don't remember me?"

"No. How did you get on my balcony, huh?"

She spoke with easy anger that Gohan knew was not right for the girl he knew as his best friend. The Videl he knew was never angry, only strong. Irritability was weak, impassive strength was impressive.

"I flew, Videl. You know I can fly..."

"FLEW?! What kind of trick is that? You come to kidnap me? Because I can kick your butt right off this balcony!"

Gohan was stunned.

It was like she wasn't even the same person. Like none of his memories of her were real.

She was just a stranger.

"We were best friends, Videl... You've gotta remember me."

She seemed to think about this for a moment as Gohan observed the young girl before him, pain in his chest.

"I'm sure I would remember if I had someone like you for a best friend."

This sparked Gohan's interest.

"Someone like me?"

Her look softened from angry to gentle and the face of the girl that Gohan knew returned.

"Yeah, you don't look like an easily forgettable person." She looked from his untamed black hair to his warrior's gi tattered from recent battle, wounds still open on his unhealed body.

"But anyway, you seem dangerous." She hmmph'd. "And my wonderful Daddy doesn't allow me to have any friends that are boys unless I'm meeting them in the ring in our gym. So, I believe you ought to get going and fly the coop, Gohan." She smirked at her mockery of his claim to be able to fly.

His heart wrenched for reasons still unknown to him. Though the word, betrayal, seemed to float around in his mind a little. He clenched his fists looking for a way out of this situation, but found none. He didn't even fully understand what was going on enough to fix it. But his pride sought out a way to continue controlling his situation, even knowing he would fly off soon. When a memory sparked an idea he acted immediately without hesitation.

He approached her, taking the few steps forward to be nearly touching the shorter girl before him. Quickly he leaned over and smoothly planted a small kiss on her cheek, just as she had done to him the last time they'd seen each other. Before pulling too far away he whispered in her ear, "You _will_ remember me, Videl Satan."

A chill went through her body at the sound of his threatening promise. Heat rose to her cheeks as he backed away. She had been too flustered to attack the boy, as she normally would have once he approached her. Then her eyes grew wide in disbelief as the boy lifted himself into the air, hovering for a moment before flying off faster than her eyes could follow. Her hand reached up rubbing her face where his kiss had been moments ago.

"That was so weird."

* * *

A/N: What do you think? What do you want to happen to the two? What do you think of my thoughts at the top of the chapter?

Thanks for your review!


	12. Goten Son

A/N: This is mostly a filler chapter. I decided that I'm gonna use the Saiyan bond thing, and am still considering an OC. Let me know your opinions and any ideas to spice up an otherwise lame 'student division' world tournament! Review!

Thank you so much for all your support so far :) It really does help with motivation!

* * *

Chapter 12

Goten Son

The tournament date had finally been announced. In order to commemorate the dawn of a new day after the defeat of Cell, Hercule's self-funded Student World Tournament was to be held on the first day of the New Year. The simple news of the date and time had mattered very little to Gohan who hadn't stalled in his training at all. It was blatantly obvious to all who knew the boy as their friend that Gohan needed no additional training to win a mere human tournament on Earth. Despite the facts, his training only intensified as time went on.

Chi-Chi had even begun to reconsider his request of attending a public school with kids his own age, just to try to get him to take some sort of break from his relentless training. She never found success, though somewhat of a medium was formed. A large portion of his training was spent with Vegeta, and after hearing countless groans from his mate after her phone calls with the boy's mother, he suggested that Gohan should be taught of his heritage. After all, it was obvious that the boy's intelligence far surpassed an average human of his age, nearing Bulma herself. After Chi-Chi's initial reluctance, Gohan was permitted to attend Vegeta's Saiyan History lessons, though the woman had yet to budge on Bulma's offer for Gohan to begin an internship beneath herself at Capsule Corp. She knew she needn't worry though, the blue-haired woman knew it was only a matter of time before the mother finally realized what her son had truly achieved compared to the rest of the world she was so cut off from.

Often Vegeta's lessons were in held in a room provided for the two by Bulma, fully equipped with a desk for Gohan along with all necessary note-taking instruments. Though from time to time the Prince would teach Gohan in the Gravity Room while the two trained. One form at a time, Gohan was being taught the many fighting styles of the Saiyan race. And on the very rare occasion their lessons took them to the skies on a field trip to battle sites from the two warrior's pasts. There, Vegeta would emotionlessly recreate scenes from his upbringing, sometimes telling Gohan stories that had never escaped his lips before. The recollections were powerful, pain emanating from every word in Vegeta's cold tone. Gohan learned quickly, adding everything his newest sensei had to give in the archives of his mind.

It seemed like they'd gone over so much in such a short period of time. Quickly though, Vegeta informed the boy that this was merely the beginning.

Gohan was really rather blissful during these months. Though his training was nearly excruciating, his lessons with Vegeta sometimes overwhelming, the pressure from Bulma to help with her more private inventions, and the guilt of not spending enough time with his mother was a heavy burden. Yet for some reason the young boy seemed to thrive beneath the expectations. Days that changed his hefty schedule usually wore him out than anything else. Days like this one.

He'd actually been in their small, temporary dome behind Bulma's much larger, permanent one when his mother had started screaming from the kitchen. Immediately alerted from his meditation in wait for his food, Gohan flew through the front door looking at his mother with frantic eyes. She was bent over awkwardly near the sink, seeming to have spilled ample amount of the dishwater in her pain. Gohan waited for instruction, though calculated many different scenarios in case this wasn't apart of the plan his mother had discussed with him a few weeks ago. His mother affirmed that the plan must proceed in one forced statement.

"Goten's coming."

Gohan quickly lifted his mother the best he could with one arm, and without wasting a moment of unnecessary movement, lifted two fingers to his forehead.

Bulma dropped the small spoon she had been holding for Trunks the moment she saw the two Sons appear before her in the kitchen of the Personal Dome of Capsule Corp. Vegeta entered the room only because of the strange energy fluctuations he was sensing from the GR, only to lose interest instantly.

"No." Bulma caught her husband, "You will watch Trunks. No excuses." The woman's tone was at a level of seriousness that even Vegeta wouldn't retort against her this time. She turned to Gohan and spoke again, "Get her to the infirmary. I'll make the phone call."

For the most part, Bulma was plenty capable of being a doctor herself. She had taken care of all of Chi-Chi's prenatal care up until this point, including working the sonogram machine Capsule Corp had purchased when the newly made CEO was pregnant herself. Now though, a special delivery doctor was on call for just this purpose. Both women had decided that the third-party doctor would be a much better choice, both for their individual comforts and for an easier understanding of any legal measures that would need to take place in order to document Goten's new existence.

Within a second Gohan placed his mother on a clean, white bed in the Capsule Corp infirmary, mostly used by Vegeta. Unsure of himself, Gohan waited for an order of his next action whether from his suddenly silent mother or from a new presence.

Bulma was the first to speak, immediately after she entered the large white room.

"Chi-Chi, he's five minutes away. Gohan, go take care of Trunks for me. If Vegeta hasn't already left him alone it's only a matter of time."

Gohan nodded wordlessly. He left the room warily, not wanting to leave his mother in pain, but sure that this wasn't an event for the eyes of a young boy.

Hours later, Gohan was stirred awake by a familiar woman with blue hair.

"Gohan? Gohan, wake up."

His eyes looked around sleepily, remembering where he was and how he got there. He'd fallen asleep on the couch in the living room connected to the kitchen in which Trunks had been left. The purple haired infant was sleeping on his belly atop of Gohan's chest.

"Bulma?"

"Gohan, aren't you just the best babysitter ever! It probably comes with being a new big brother," she spoke with a smile and revealed that within her arms she held a white bundle of blankets that she held towards him when she said 'big brother'. He watched the blankets stir wordlessly, a small brown tail showing itself. "Wanna hold him, kid?"

Gohan didn't have time to think of all his worries about holding a very recently born infant before Bulma placed the bundle in a vacant spot between Gohan's ribs and his arm closest to the back of the couch. The sleeping newborn Saiyan unconsciously curled his tail around his big brother's arm and seemed to fit perfectly in place within the protective build of the half-breed. Noticing the moment, Bulma quickly found the closest camera to take a picture of the precious moment.

Gohan blushed at her actions, but smiled anyway. This was a moment to remember after all, and on top of that the tournament was less than three weeks away. Despite everyone's presumptions that Gohan fought so incessantly because of pent-up anger, truly he held little frustrations. Actually, some new desire for pure battle had lit within his heart lately. Ever since his lessons with Vegeta had opened his mind to the ways his body and mind actually functioned, everything seemed to suddenly ease in his life along with the need to fight. Fighting had become a hunger he felt almost constantly, one that was so far easily contained, but also so far consistently fed. With the need of protecting the two half-breeds in his arms and the thrill of the upcoming competition, Gohan could find little flaw in his present.

Though one little flaw did remain: Videl Satan.


	13. The Tournament

**A/N: In my country, New Years is on January 1st.**

* * *

Chapter 13

The Tournament

Something seemed off about today. Banners covered the area, booths filed along the sidewalk, and the crowd was pouring in. What used to be a simple brutish tournament had been turned into a festival of celebration and the masses had come to the small island to join the fun. Children were giggling with ice cream or cotton candy in their hands and even the adults all seemed to have a pleasant carefree look on their faces. It seemed so out of place for a competition of one on one war.

And the changes were all due to her father.

They'd been like celebrities this day, her and her father. Men and women with cameras and microphones surrounding them, blinding her blue eyes with their constant flashing. Her dad seemed to rejoice in the glory, though she couldn't imagine why. Glory seemed to be just too much for her to handle. She didn't get a break from the cameras once though; Not since she decided to compete in the tournament herself.

It had been really strange when she'd finally decided it was what she'd wanted to do. It was like she'd almost forgotten she fought at all. She never thought about Martial Arts really, but one day she got too close to practice fight in their downstairs gym and reacted with expertise that shouldn't belong to such a small girl. Marvelling at her own newfound ability, she began practicing in secret, since her father had seemed really adamant that she not perform the skill ever again. But in the end, she got her way. Just a few days before the tournament began she'd announced publicly that she was competing and it was out into microphones before her father ever got the chance to hear personally.

His reaction was peculiar. He seemed to be shocked. Less about her fighting in the tournament, but more about her knowing she could fight at all. It was as if he never thought she even could fight, or at least would ever fight again.

It was weird.

But now she was here, at the tournament, surrounded by publicity. Her eyes roamed the many attractions and the now overwhelmingly large crowd of people who had all come to see who the first students of the world savior's new martial arts gym would be.

_Attention. Attention. The qualifying round will begin shortly. All fighters registered please report to the waiting area behind the main arena. _

Her head perked up at the sound of the announcement. It was time. The beginning was here and supposedly her dad found new technology to make the preliminary rounds move much quicker and waste less energy. She looked up at the eyes of her father on her right as he looked down to smile at her uneasily. She furrowed her eyebrows at his awkward look of worry before she turned her head to walk towards her gathering competition.

* * *

He could feel her energy walk into the waiting area, her sparks were hard to miss. None of the Z fighters had yet to explain the girls strange flow of natural energy, however their watch over her increased when she'd started suddenly becoming stronger. It wasn't much in comparison to their own power, but for a small human girl it was impressive. Her spark had become sparks and Gohan's intrigue had multiplied, along with his lust for battle.

He didn't have his hopes up though, this was only a small competition on earth with human "students". He couldn't feel a power level worth his time apart from Vegeta, who loomed hidden in the sky waiting to watch Gohan play with the other children in the ring. His pride would never allow Bulma to know that he would willingly attend something so petty as a human children's function, even if it was martial arts.

Videl looked very stern as she marched into the crowd of fighters, though her small worries didn't escape Gohan's critical gaze. He hadn't even known that she could fight, but he guessed he couldn't really be surprised what with her psychopathic father. He tried to stay out of her line of sight, waiting for the last possible moment to reveal himself. A strange anticipation filled himself as he thought of the moment she saw him.

He wondered if she'd remember him while he was fighting.

_Attention. Attention fighters. The preliminaries will be decided by our newest technology. A punch machine has been developed with a strength calculator. Form a single file line based on your registration number and wait your turn. The top 16 scores will proceed to the tournament rounds. Thank you._

_That's disappointing_, Gohan thought.

* * *

_That should significantly speed things up! _Videl thought.

Her line formed quickly, she was very close the end since her father had wanted to make a grand entrance today. From what she could tell so far the highest scores any of the competitors before her were getting were in the 30-50 range. The 50's were a rare few. The more time passed the more her mind wandered. It was strange, when her mind filled itself with memories it seemed that her past was rather dull. Her memories were completely made up of memories from training with her father...and not much else. Sometimes it seemed more unusual than others: the seeming lapse in her memories. But for the most part she wasn't worried. Because really, she couldn't remember anything that told her that her thoughts were lacking or that she was anything less than typical.

Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't realized that nearly an hour had passed and she was now standing at the front of the line.

"Miss Satan, you're up," a monk in an orange and black outfit spoke.

"Oh! Uh, right." She approached the machine, which looked much more advanced technologically up close, reared back her arm, then let her full force strike the soft, designated place on the machine for her to punch.

"62."

"Alright!" Videl smiled, then looked back at the monk that seemed to be doing most of the speaking, "If you don't mind me asking sir, what's the highest score so far?"

Without missing a beat he answered her, "137."

Videl's heart dropped. Someone had gotten more than double her score. Sure, she was only twelve years old and the competition allowed up to eighteen, but Videl had always been able to take on and defeat student, and boys at that, which were much older than her. Though a senior would be difficult, she was sure that her talents were still much on the rise and she would be able to pummel any one of them without hesitation. But this... She wasn't sure she could handle this.

"And uh, who made such a high score?"

"Um, well, Miss Satan, it was um... the Delivery Boy."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Videl was puzzled.

"Well, he was at the Cell Games. He was the last one seen to be fighting Cell when the cameras went off the air. Many actually believe that he defeated Cell as just a boy. But rumors are rumors, miss."

This was new.

"Has no one asked him about it since he's been here? What has he said?"

"He hasn't responded to anyone verbally, Miss Videl. He's completely silent."

"Hmm. And he's a boy, you say? How old is he?"

"Well, your age, Miss Satan. Though he could probably pass for closer to thirteen."

"A thirteen year old scored twice my score?! No way."

"Believe it, ma'am."

"Well, thank you. But I think now I have some new business to take care of..."

* * *

A smirk was plastered on the golden haired warrior's face as he hovered in the air near by, listening to a certain conversation between a monk and a twelve year old girl. When the idea to show up as the Delivery Boy, who was still so fresh on the people's minds, arose he just couldn't bear to pass it up. There was something excited so deeply within him about all of this that he just couldn't quite put a finger on.

Videl wandered all throughout the day looking for whoever could be the Delivery Boy, all the while Gohan avoided her, following her energy relentlessly. Even as the tournament commenced and rounds began to fly by with ease, for both Gohan and Videl, he'd managed to keep constant distance between the two, somehow always preventing her from getting too good of a look at his face.

Most of the competitors were between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, with two fifteen year olds and Gohan and Videl. Despite any age difference, Gohan and Videl were always the victors of their matches, and as fitting perfectly with Gohan's plan, the two had started on opposite sides of the brackets, only to face each other in the finals.

By now Videl had heard many rumors of the Delivery Boy and had now not only seen him, but seen him fight. Though to her dismay, he never showed a fighting style. In every fight he'd merely stood up straight and waited for his opponent to make the first move, then in a quick counter he would force his competitor out of the ring without breaking a sweat. It was intimidating to say the least, but more than that, it was frustrating.

But now they would come face to face for the first time all day. The boy who not only was supposed to be more than twice as powerful as her, but was rumored to have been the real victor against Cell instead of her father. To call him an arch nemesis wasn't shooting too far in Videl's mind.

* * *

_"And now will our finalists join us in the arena! Know that these two competitors already qualify for our prize of becoming the first to study beneath Hercule Satan himself! Videl Satan, age twelve, and the Delivery Boy, also age twelve, come on out! One being the daughter of our beloved hero, and the other a newcomer who hasn't spoken a word once since he spoke his name to register this morning! These two are the youngest competitors here today and have both seemed to prove that age is just a number, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Championship round!_

* * *

To look at her face to face again seemed to gain a strange reaction out of Gohan. Something deep within him seemed to be rising to the challenge... It was a feeling that he could easily relate to feeling before he fought someone much stronger than this girl, who was actually life threatening to him, yet still she remained a challenge. She seemed to be a different kind of challenge, but still one who required something to rise up from deep inside him to be able to conquer it. What exactly that meant, he wasn't sure of, but here he was facing it nevertheless.

* * *

The moment she turned to face him in the ring something started going berserk within her. An internal battle began in her mind. She'd seen him before. She knew it. Something about him drew her in, not in a frightening or overly intense way, but in a way that surrounded her with trust. Like her soul knew he was to be trusted, even though her mind found that completely illogical. Yet here she was, staring at him while they're supposed to be fighting, over thinking her every thought. What was going on here?

"Videl?"

The Delivery Boy spoke.

That voice... That voice was so familiar...

_"You will remember me, Videl Satan."_

Her balcony. The boy with the black hair. What was his name?

The crowd watched in silence, all curious about the unspoken conflict between the two finalists. The daughter of the supposed defeater of Cell up against a boy rumored to have been the true world savior. Even more interesting was the way the two seemed to stare _into _the other. Then, to add to the mix, the Delivery Boy had finally spoken.

"You were the boy on my balcony..."

"Yes, that was me."

"This is so confusing!" Videl pulled her arms up to rest on the sides of her head, attempting to shake away her inner struggle.

"What's so confusing?" Gohan asked, honestly curious. He wasn't exactly sure what to expect when this moment finally came, but this wasn't it. He thought she'd put up much more of a fight, literally.

After taking a long pause, Videl spoke, "I feel like I should know you."

Puzzled, Gohan looked back at her with confused eyes.

"You do know me, Videl."

"No, I don't! I don't remember you!"

"You _should -"_

Suddenly screams from an area within the large main building cut off Gohan's thoughts. Chaos built itself slowly until a woman emerged onto the scene in mere undergarments screaming, "It's Mr. Satan! He's been attacked! H-he's dead!"

Then all hell broke loose.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the extra long wait! If you're still sticking this out with me, I thank you! **

**Please review, and let me know what you think of the new developments! And give me some ideas to throw around in my head over the plotline and everything I want to happen next and later in the story. **

**Thank you thank you!**

**Review, please! :))**


	14. Aftermath

Chapter 14

Aftermath

Everything had seemed to have moved in slow motion as the seconds dragged onwards. A mostly naked woman had been screaming, proclaiming the news of death to all who could hear. Minds raced in thought as some reacted naturally, believing the news and screaming with her. Some seemed to assume Cell had returned for revenge against their savior, anger boiled in their skin but fear quickly drowned every other notion. The majority of the crowd was in a riot attempting to leave the stadium. Some people blew off what the clad woman was claiming, as if her word couldn't be fully trusted on her own. People moved, ebbing and flowing around one another, collisions left and right. Noise barreled Gohan's ear drums, but his eyes saw only one thing.

Videl had frozen in front of him.

The moment his mind registered the weight of the woman's statement he'd immediately spread out his senses in search of the buffoon. But as soon as his senses registered the claims to be true, he felt a pinch of guilt at calling the man a buffoon.

Hercule Satan was dead.

Videl hadn't budged an inch. In fact, she was still staring straight at the half saiyan. As seconds ticked away, Gohan finally moved closer to his raven haired friend, concern etched on his every feature. His eyes looked deep into her own, searching for signs of life, but found nothing. Her energy hadn't even spiked or anything. She had no reaction, lifeless. Although there was that same strange spark feeling from her energy. The same thing that seemed to bore into Gohan's own energy, something so deep that no words the young boy possessed would suffice. And suddenly, with her spark mere inches from him, emotion wrung through his heart heavily. It was a new feeling, but slightly familiar. Possibly something like the feelings he held specifically for his mom and his baby brother. It was a strange protectiveness. Thought this current feeling was much more painful than the usual ones.

"Videl? Can you hear me?"

She blinked. Time passed slowly. Seconds ticked.

"Videl?" He reached out to touch her shoulder when she suddenly moved into the open space created by his movements. Suddenly she was clinging to him, without a sound ever leaving her lips.

Seconds passed.

People were screaming. The police had shown up by now, full force. Order was being made though chaos still flourished in spouts. Ambulances arrived and the commotion was relentless. Though a few people stood and watched the two finalists standing in the center of the ring, daughter of the deceased champ clinging to her rival for comfort.

No one tried to take even a step onto the ring until what felt like hours had passed. The stadium cleared and the police chief finally built up the courage to approach the fatherless girl, still clutching the closest stable person to her.

"Miss Videl."

The chief looked at Gohan expectantly when Videl didn't answer, but Gohan didn't know what to do any better than Videl herself did.

"Videl, I need you to come with me. We've gotta call some relatives of yours. You need a place to stay tonight."

Still, no movement.

Gohan looked down at the slightly shaking, fiery, broken girl in his arms and let out a sad breath. With some affection, he let his head fall to lay up against hers in a lingering gesture before he rearranged his arms and hoisted her limply into her arms. She didn't respond. Cradling her into his chest, she made no resistance. If anything she tried to pull herself even closer towards the black haired boy.

Gohan turned his head to look at the chief of police and gave a slight nod to assure him that he could lead him to wherever the girl needed to go. The two exchanged a look of emotion that neither truly understood fully before the officer turned a walked towards the closest exit that kept the girl from having to enter the building her father had been in at all. Gohan followed distantly, knowing that he would not lose the man leading the way.

The officer was mostly unsure of what to really do with the girl for now. He wasn't sure that the Satan's had any immediate relatives. His best bet was to see if there was a maid or someone at their mansion that knew the girl closely enough that they could watch over her temporarily. But Videl would need more than just temporary, she would need someone for at least another four years, if not longer, depending on when she would choose to become independent. Should he take her back to her home? Would that be the most comfortable place or the most damaging place to bring her to? It would be much easier if the girl could just tell him who she wanted to live with. The girl had always been so private, the complete opposite of her father, no one really knew anything about her. On top of that, how were his police force supposed to salvage the reputation of the world's savior when a woman he'd obviously bedded or had been about to bed had been the one to proclaim his death to the world? This became a very messy afternoon, very quickly.

Gohan watched the comatosed girl in his arms while searching every ounce of knowledge he'd ever acquired to find the best solution for her problems. He considered whether she should return home or leave that behind. He wondered if there was anything within his power to do something for her to help the situation in the least. He watched her eyes flutter open an closed randomly, only proclaiming her lack of mental consciousness.

"Videl," Gohan spoke as sweetly as he could.

For the first time, Videl reacted. She only moved her eyes as they turned to look directly into the eyes of the voice who called her name and the arms that held her frame.

"You're going to be okay."

She stared in his eyes for a moment as he continued to walk. Then she slowly slid her lids shut, soaking in his words directly to the depths of her heart. Then she let herself fall completely unconscious to the rhythm of his steps.

* * *

Hours later Gohan ended up at the Satan mansion still holding the girl closely to his chest, to the wonder of what seemed to be the entire Satan City Police Dept. A few had even tried to ask him just how strong he was to hold her so steadily for so long. Gohan never replied. After talking to many of the staff around the large home it was discovered that there was one maid in particular that was closer to Videl than the others. Her name was Penny. Her job in the mansion was more or less to cater to Videl specifically, and though the girl more often than not shooed the older woman away, Penny still managed to grow close to Videl holding the closest image to a mother Videl has ever known. The chief of police had deeply questioned Penny until he was sure that she would be the best choice of guardian for the girl, then they began making plans. Gohan listened in on everything that was said, but his eyes never left the girl still cradled in his arms asleep.

"You must be exhausted," he whispered.

She murmured comfortably in her sleep and moved only slightly before settling again.

Gohan smiled at the thought that the sound of his voice seemed to always get a reaction out of her. _How funny, _he thought.

"Alright kid, she's gonna be staying here with Penny for now. I can take her to her room."

Gohan looked up to see that the chief of police was now standing in front of his seated position in a chair in the main foyer of the large home. The man was holding his arms out, fully expecting Gohan to surrender the girl over to him. Gohan quickly looked between the chief, Penny, and Videl.

"It's alright sir, I can take her. Just let Penny lead the way."

Though he'd seen her room before, he'd never found it from the inside of her house. Really, he'd only ever been on the balcony.

The chief looked at Gohan as if that upset him a little bit, but Penny's hand on his shoulder assured him that she saw no harm in letting the young boy keep the girl in his arms for a few moments longer. He sighed and Penny let go to lead the way to a nearby hallway leading towards a staircase.

* * *

Videl opened her eyes to see a boy with wild black hair very close to her face. At first his closeness startled her, but when he suddenly seemed to be backing away from her she realized he felt familiar, comforting. Then she noticed he was letting go of her. Had she even known he was holding her? And now she was slipping, falling out of the boy's embrace. As she felt herself bottom out on a very familiar soft surface, she watched his wary face moving farther away from hers as he let her go completely and panic filled her body like fire. Suddenly she was shaking and she watched her arms reach up for the boy once more. She felt the wetness of tears fall down her cheeks, the salty taste touching her lips, but her control was lost. She just couldn't let him leave.

She couldn't let Gohan leave.

"Gohan," she managed to croak out between panicked breaths.

His face folded in concern as he gently replied to her, "Videl, you have to stay here. You're gonna be okay."

"Gohan!"

"No, Videl. You're gonna be okay. Just stay. Stay here, okay?"

Gohan watched her pain and fears as they took over control of her own body. Penny moved in to comfort her to little avail, but Gohan had to get away soon or this would get bad. He wasn't really sure what would happen, but he knew somewhere inside himself that things would get out of hand if he stayed any longer. He considered staying no matter what, he even thought about maybe giving her another kiss like he'd done on the balcony. He considered coming back to see her tomorrow, or maybe the next day. But something told him that it just wouldn't be okay. He would only remind her of the tournament, of her father, of her pain.

With one last look, he turned and walked out of her life.

The last thing he heard was her scream.

* * *

**A/N: The next chapter will be skipping into the future, during the time in the canon that's "Gohan Goes to High School".**

**I have a poll for you guys!**

**I'm deciding just how I want Videl to be in high school without either of her parents. **

**Is she going to be:**

**+ more open and kind-hearted, gentle and wise?**

**+more closed off with ruined morals, making her a 'bad girl'.**

**+or the same as the original character.**

**What do you think?**

**You might as well review with your opinion, because I won't really be able to post a new chapter without writing about Videl and that would require knowing how her character will be...**

**Thanks for reading!**


	15. Gohan Goes to High School

**A/N: It's been a while! Honestly, I wasn't really motivated in this story much anymore but I recently realized that I'm at 99 views! Ridiculous! I was so surprised that I thought I better get something out there and added. I'm really tired, so I'm sorry if it's not my best. And it's a little short...but I needed to throw something out there to get my mind wrapped around it again. Let me know what you think!**

* * *

Chapter 15

Gohan Goes to High School

_Thud._

"What's the point of this, boy?"

Gohan was thankful to hear his opponent start talking - it was a sure sign that their daily morning spar was coming to a close. Slowly, the newly of-age saiyan lifted his head slowly from the place it had landed after the saiyan prince's last blow to his back. His face was compacted in frustration - the old man shouldn't be able to sneak up on him like that.

"I don't know, Vegeta. To _not_ neglect my human half? Or have you forgotten?" Gohan smirked. He knew exactly the reaction remarks like that would get him.

"Brat! You... I... Agh! I'm your prince! Show some respect!" He bit his words out, now even more frustrated than usually since he knew that he had no right to degrade diluted saiyan blood at this point anymore. Not only was Gohan just as strong as he was, but he had his own halfbreed children.

"Respect is earned, _my prince._" Gohan laughed as he blocked Vegeta's fists that were being thrown carelessly from anger. Vegeta never took anything lightly, but this was probably as close to playful as the two warriors ever got - a mildly less than life threatening spar based on shallow emotions.

"Daddy!"

Both fighters stopped, but Vegeta got in one last glare and a short, "Shut up, boy." before the father turned to the mess of blue hair running recklessly into the gravity room. Both men were grateful that they'd been intending on quitting for a while now so the gravity was shut off.

"How did you get in here, Bra?" Vegeta watched every step the three year old took as she toddled up to him. He fixed his expression to look stern without glaring, which he'd had to start manually doing since this girl was born. Why such a brat made his automatic expression almost look happy, he had no idea.

"Does Gohan really have to go to school?" Another voice cut in and the attention was back at the door once more.

Vegeta glared fully at his son, relieved to have someone to let it out on.

Gohan watched Vegeta interact with his children whom he'd grown so fond of with a knowing smile. It was good to see the bitter and scorned man happy - even if it was his weird non-happy version of happy. The teen looked back to the door and made eye contact with the eight year old with lavender hair and let the connection move him forward automatically.

"Sorry, Trunks. But I really need to go to school. It's only during part of the day though, don't worry - I won't be gone for good." He smiled at the last part, putting a hand to Trunks' hair when he'd finally reached him.

"Fine." Trunks pouted, before stiffening up and straightening his features when he remembered his father was in the room.

Bra was still staring at her father who was still sending a hard stare to Trunks and now Gohan too. Swiftly she raised both her arms up as high as she could, straining to reach higher than she could. When small high pitched grunts vibrated through her throat, Vegeta finally looked down and scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"What, brat?" He cut.

"Daddy, please?" She drawled, squeezing her hands open and closed like she was grabbing the air in front of his abdomen.

"Hn."

But despite his grunt, he bent at the waist and lifted her from under her arms until he stood erect before she wrapped her legs on either side of him and he held her with only one arm. She smiled and let her head rest on his chest while he frowned at the contact. Once the girl settled, he walked out of the gravity room, his son in tow, leaving Gohan in the doorway.

"Bye Gohan!" Trunks waved when they'd reached the door to the house.

"Bye, Trunks. I'll see you later. And maybe bring Goten over!" He shouted as he lifted off the ground, beginning to leave the complex.

Vegeta spoke the last words without even looking away from his direction of motion:

"Be careful with the girl."

* * *

He already knew she was going to be there. He was fully aware that she was a senior at Orange Star High School. Who was he kidding, that's probably why he chose the place. So why was he so frozen right now?

"Take a seat, Gohan." The home room teacher moved back to his desk to take a look at his lesson plan for the day, fully expecting Gohan to be able to handle the simple action on his own.

He was trying not to stare at her, he really was. But she was right there. He hadn't been this close to her since the tournament. Since the day her father died... She was there, here, in front of him, about four rows of seats away. She'd matured, just like he had, but her eyes were the same color that he remembered, though something about their depth seemed off. Her energy was even the same, though her spark was dull.

"Over here, cutie!" A blonde was raised in her seat, waving frantically to the new student at the front of the classroom. Sitting next to her was Videl, who looked at the new kid for the first time since his grand entrance.

_She doesn't recognize me, _Gohan realized when her endless eyes met his. Trying to hide his small pang of hurt, the teenage demi-saiyan strode towards the blonde girl, who was still smiling at him. He tried to appear normal, but he couldn't help the way that he carried himself.

He was powerful beyond all imagination.

"Hi there Gohan! My name is Erasa," the blonde smiled as she watched the tall boy get himself situated in his new learning environment, unpacking a notebook and a pen while decided where best to leave his backpack around him.

"Oh, hi." He smiled.

"These are my friends! This is Videl and behind her is Sharpner."

His energy spiked at the sound of her name. _How embarrassing. Vegeta's gonna enjoy commenting on that later. _

"Hi Sharpner." He took one quick look to the blonde haired boy who looked like he spent more time in front of the mirror than Bulma. Then he looked to Videl. He just wanted to stare at her.

He was fully aware of his...fondness for the girl.

He had to admit that to himself after the third year of casually checking on her energy signal from a distance. He felt so responsible for her. He always had, since he first met her. But it was better for her that he kept the memories away. His presence in her life would do nothing but constantly remind her of her father, something he was sure wasn't her favorite topic of discussion.

"Videl." He spoke as a greeting.

Her eyes snapped to his automatically, then she blinked profusely crinkling her eyebrows.

"You should eat lunch with us, Gohan! Wouldn't want you to sit alone on your first day." Erasa smiled her most impressive smile, but Gohan and Videl were still staring at one another, ignoring the rest of the room.

Finally, Gohan nodded. "Yeah, thanks Erasa."

"Settle down class! Now, open your books to page 324."

* * *

"So where you from, Gohan?" Erasa beamed, her full attention on her topic of conversation instead of on her carrot sticks she had for a lunch.

"West City," he mumbled between bites, grateful that he'd planned his answers to these types of questions beforehand. "Is that really all you eat?"

The blonde girl giggled. "Yes, silly! A girl's gotta watch her figure!"

"Yeah, whatever Erasa." Videl scoffed as she tossed her second roll into her mouth.

Erasa smiled again, her cheek muscles tense. "So Gohan, you seem kindof familiar. Have we met?"

Gohan nearly choked, but managed to conceal his reaction from the girls. With Videl in such close proximity, every statement seemed to be loaded and every breath he took seemed to be forced. He was trying not to come off weird in any way, something he learned that he often was from his extended amount of time helping Bulma around with Capsule Corp. Though keeping cool was becoming increasingly harder, his nerves seemed to bite him at every ending, just waiting for _something _to happen with Videl. But all he'd really gotten was an earful from Erasa. Sharpner had yet to join them, so he seemed to be undergoing to Spanish Acquisition on his own.

"Erm, no. I don't think so."

"I guess you're right." She tilted her head to the side and chewed on her carrot. "I mean, I don't really go to West City. But I'd love to visit! Not only is their mall bigger than Orange Star City's, but Bulma Brief lives there too! She's my idol."

Gohan paled.

"Yeah, but I doubt nerd boy's ever met a celebrity of her caliber, Erasa. I mean, c'mon." Three heads turned at the words to watch Sharpner take a set across from Gohan and next to Videl.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Sharpner." Videl dismissed before returning to her food.

Erasa never even flinched. "So, Gohan. Tell us more about yourself. Siblings? Favorite sports? Hobbies? Who are you, Gohan?" She false glared at him playfully, following up with a huge grin.

The saiyan was still regaining his color from the comments about Bulma, filing the information away as another thing to keep to himself for as long as possible.

"Um, I have three. Two brothers and a sister. All younger." He paused to choose his next answer carefully. Martial Arts was probably his honest answer, but he wasn't sure he wanted to give that away just yet. "I like baseball, and my siblings are probably my hobby..." He laughed nervously.

"Tell us about your siblings!" Erasa said enthusiastically, completely enthralled in learning about the 'cute' new guy while the other two at the table just ate quietly, seemingly just waiting for this free period to end or for Erasa to close her mouth for longer than a few seconds.

Gohan saw their boredom and felt their pain.

"Well, the boys are seven and eight. They're handfuls. And my sister is three. She's...opinionated." _And demanding, stubborn, aggressive, stronger than the world's strongest human, and overwhelmingly cute._

"I bet that's adorable!" Erasa clapped her hands together in blind glee.

Gohan's eyes widened but he tried to manage to laugh.

"Uh, yeah. Adorable."

"Wow, so anyway... Gonna join any clubs, brains?"

Gohan looked at the jock for the first time since he initially sat down. He'd been vehemently focused on not focusing on Videl and how quiet she was being.

"I hadn't planned on joining any, really."

"I'm sure there's a geek club or two where you'd fit right in." He smirked, flexing his arms as he pulled them behind his head.

"Shut up Sharpner." Videl spoke apathetically, then turned to Gohan. "Don't be insulted. He's meathead: captain of the boxing team. Everyone knows they have no brain cells after getting hit in the head so many times."

"You're one to talk miss crime fighter!" Erasa pointed a finger at her friend from across the table.

"Crime fighter?" Gohan looked at Videl, making eye contact for the first time since this morning after his introduction.

"Yeah, it's not a big deal." She responded, automatically.

"Not a big deal!" Erasa laughed. "Of course it's a big deal! Our Videl is a hero!"

Videl blushed and Gohan suppressed a light smile.

"Why do you do it?" He couldn't help but ask.

She blinked. Her expression made Gohan a little worried and the silence from both the blondes wasn't really helping. What had he said?

"My mom was killed when I was young," she looked away from Gohan's eye contact for a moment before returning to his deep, knowing eyes to continue, "and my father was killed a few years ago." She paused again, swallowing while wondering why the new kid seemed to be significantly more intense in his disposition when he spoke to her. "Saving people means alot to me."

* * *

**A/N: It's only the beginning! Let me know what you think so far, don't be too harsh, I ignore mean things. Haha. This was all written in one sitting and mostly just a chapter to help my brain get going and move things along. I haven't given up yet!**

**Oh, and let me know what you think of my plot change with making Bra born much sooner... **

**And to clear any confusion, Chi-Chi and Goten are still in the picture.**


End file.
